Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday announced that the payroll system for the employees of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has been shifted to the SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) platform.
Addressing the launching ceremony at the City Council Hall on Wednesday, he stated that the entire payroll record has now been fully digitized. This transition will prevent individuals from drawing multiple salaries, a problem that persisted in the past, he said.
He emphasized 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. The SAP system will ensure timely salary disbursements.
The Mayor Karachi 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 is also being integrated into the SAP system. 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.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza 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. All details are now available at a single click.
Mayor Karachi 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.
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 year-round 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 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 84-inch 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.
