Karachi Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said on Wednesday that previous mayors preferred manual systems for salary records, but under the current administration, a superior digital system has been developed with the help of CLICK, through which 101 individuals drawing double salaries have already been identified.
Addressing the launching ceremony at the City Council Hall, he announced that the payroll system for the employees of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had been shifted to the SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) platform.
Mr Wahab said that the entire payroll record had now been fully digitized. This transition will prevent individuals from drawing multiple salaries, a problem that persisted in the past.
He said that previous mayors preferred manual systems for salary records, but under the current administration, a superior digital system had been developed with the help of CLICK, through which 101 individuals drawing double salaries have already been identified. The SAP system will ensure timely salary disbursements. The Karachi mayor noted that this marks a significant milestone for KMC, which is now the first local government in Pakistan to implement this system.
He further revealed that data of all retired employees was also being integrated into the SAP system. The previous administrations lacked transparency, leading to fake recruitments and complications in pension disbursements. Now, pensioner records are being digitized as well, and KMC’s development portfolio is also being transferred to the SAP platform. He stated that it is essential to adopt technology relevant to the 21st century and expressed hope that town administrations would follow suit.
Wahab highlighted the importance of transparency in salary payments, stating that the SAP system will securely store all employee records. KMC has 10,173 employees, and no other local body demonstrates this level of transparency. He added that the system will now clearly reflect when an employee was hired, their date of birth, promotion history, and all relevant details will be available through the application. The system will be instrumental in eliminating ghost employees.
He reiterated the commitment to legal compliance and institutional transparency and assured full cooperation in this regard. The KMC Council is becoming the first in Pakistan with a fully digitized employee record. The new system will eliminate record duplication, and no employee will receive double or triple salary anymore. Previously, salaries were being disbursed regardless of attendance or work, but the system has now flagged 101 such cases. All details are now available at a single click.
The mayor commended the Municipal Commissioner, Finance Department, and CLICK team for their efforts. He pointed out that fake recruitments in the past led to increasing pension burdens. Now, the pension system, development schemes, and budgets are being integrated into SAP. The records of town and district administrations are also being digitized.
With SAP, it will no longer be possible to tamper with service records. The level of transparency now introduced was previously unheard of in local government. Future office holders will no longer be dependent on officers for availability of basic information. Seniority lists, previously subject to manipulation, have also been uploaded to the SAP system.
He noted that ghost employees will no longer be a concern, and legal action will be taken against those identified as drawing double salaries. Funds that were previously misused will now be directed toward public welfare. These tough decisions have resulted in a 300% increase in KMC’s revenue. This year, the veterinary department alone recovered 4.5 crore rupees.
He also acknowledged reports that instead of depositing money in government accounts, funds were being handed over to officers, a practice that is being curbed. Following court decisions, KMC no longer needs to collect funds from parks.
Regarding international relations, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab recalled that Karachi and Shanghai became sister cities in 1984. He recently visited Shanghai to improve relations and discussed cooperation on green energy. A joint working group has been established, including both Chinese and Pakistani representatives. He noted that in 41 years, neither a Karachi mayor had visited Shanghai nor a Shanghai mayor visited Karachi.
He mentioned that 800,000 livestock are brought into Karachi annually, and questioned town administrations about the yearround role of their veterinary departments. KMC’s veterinary department has generated millions in revenue. If KMC collects taxes on animals, those funds will be spent on the city’s development.
He criticized town administrations for setting up cattle markets, particularly in Malir River where the DC office had given permission, while KMC ends up doing the cleaning work. He stated that town officials show up only when it’s time to collect revenue.
He stressed the need to upgrade the water corporation’s infrastructure , pointing out that the city’s water pipelines are 69 years old and frequently burst. Repairs are underway, and investigations are being conducted to determine why the 84inch line continues to rupture. The repair work is expected to be completed within 90 hours.
Speaking on the Red Line project, he expressed hope for its timely completion but estimated that it would take another two years. He praised Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for effectively presenting the issue of canals before the government. As a result, the federal government agreed with their concerns and canceled the project.
He acknowledged the constraints faced by the Minister for Local Government and stressed that they all work as a team-Team Bilawal, Team Pakistan Peoples Party. He expressed gratitude to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for raising objections in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which the federal government accepted. He called Bilawal Bhutto unparalleled in the political arena.