HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) on Tuesday approved its Rs6.30 billion budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 by a majority vote amid noisy protests by opposition members, some of whom tore up copies of the budget document and threw them into the air.
The seventh general and fourth budget session of the HMC, held after a gap of nearly nine months, began with a delay of one hour and 40 minutes at the Mumtaz Mirza Auditorium, Sindh Museum, under the chairmanship of Mayor and Convener Kashif Ali Shoro. Deputy Mayor Sagheer Qureshi was once again absent from the session.
As soon as the mayor announced the presentation of the budget, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) councillors staged a protest, alleging that the opposition had not been taken into confidence regarding expenditure on development projects. Opposition Leader Noreez Khan also alleged that parking fees were still being collected at certain locations despite an existing ban.
Presenting the budget, Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro said the HMC had estimated total receipts of Rs6,301,187,960 and expenditures of Rs6,300,516,013 for the fiscal year 2026-27, leaving a projected surplus of Rs671,947. Despite continued sloganeering by opposition members, the mayor put the budget to a vote, and it was approved by a majority.
During the protest, several PTI councillors tore up budget documents and tossed them into the air. The session remained disorderly at various stages as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) councillors raised slogans in support of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while PTI members chanted slogans in favour of the PTI founder. PPP councillors also raised “watch thief” slogans, but the mayor directed that remarks referring to the PTI founder be expunged from the official proceedings.
The session also witnessed a heated exchange between PTI woman councillor Arzoo Faisal Mughal and Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro. The councillor questioned why development work in her area was allegedly being carried out through an unelected woman instead of the elected union committee chairperson.
When she moved towards the stage, the mayor ordered that her microphone be switched off and directed officials to remove her from the session. As she continued speaking, PPP women councillors surrounded her, with one pushing her back while another attempted to strike her, though no blow landed.
The council also approved resolutions to construct shopping centres and commercial plazas on vacant municipal land, develop a park and bus terminal on 35 acres of government land along the Ghangra Mori-Tando Yousuf Road, and allocate development schemes worth Rs50 million for each union council.
