KARACHI, Oct 6: Confusion prevailed in the City Council on Monday over the legal status of a special session called by the convener seeking an amendment to a resolution earlier passed by the house regarding an increase in land-use conversion charges on roads declared commercial.

According to the resolution adopted in the house on Sept 1, the new charges are due to be effective from July 1, 2008, and all outstanding dues will have to be recovered on the basis of the ratio of new charges, for which the city has been divided into four categories.

The opposition had bitterly criticised the resolution and, expressing serious objections over it, staged a walkout from the house. But the treasury had adopted the resolution.

At the outset of the session, convener Nasreen Jail told the members that she had personally called the special session to seek the views of the house at the demand of the department concerned which wanted an amendment to the original resolution for reconsideration of new charges.

She said the department had made certain reservations over the resolution, saying that if it was implemented in the present form, it would create complications for it as several cases had been pending much before September and many of them had cleared their charges.

The convener said the session was specially called by her to allow the members to submit their suitable suggestions over the issue.

However, taking the floor on a point of order, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Saeed Ghani questioned the legal status of Monday’s session, saying that such meetings could only be summoned by providing full details, including the list of the applicants, to the members.

Mr Ghani pointed out that one-paragraph agenda issued for discussion in the session was incomplete as there were no details in it.

It only says: “The special session has been called on a request of Executive Distirct Officer (Group of Officers) Master Plan Department to consider the house resolution no 395 passed on Sept 1, 2008.”

The opposition leader said the issue was of extreme importance and stressed the need for calling a requisitioned session with the consent of the both sides of the house to take up the issue and discuss it at length.

Echoing the sentiments of the opposition leader, Leader of the House in the City Council Asif Siddiqui agreed with the opposition that the house should be informed about the problems to be faced by the department concerned by the implementation of the resolution passed in September.

It was said that so far as the legality of the session was concerned, the convener already ruled that she had called the session under Section 17 of the Conduct of Business Rules.

Treasury leaders Masood Mehmoud and Abdul Jalil also argued that under the relevant rules the convener was empowered to call such meetings “in writing and orally”.

They urged the convener to let the house members decide whether they were in favour of debating the issue or not. The treasury members’ remarks caused uproar in the house.

Upon this, the convener intervened and suspended the proceedings for 10 minutes. She advised both sides to sink their differences on an issue which is basically a technical one.

Opposition members, including Ramzan Awan, Dr Ziauddin and Abdul Razak, also slammed the city government’s policy of commercialization, alleging that it would only boost corruption.

When the house reassembled, it was informed by Leader of the House in the City Council Asif Siddiqui that as a gesture of goodwill, the treasury has decided to call a requisitioned session on Oct 10.

The convener appreciated the goodwill gesture and adjourned the session which will now be held on Oct 10 at 11.30am.

Earlier, the house adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the attack on Asfandyar Wali Khan and offered Fateha for those who were killed in the tragic incident.