Deficit in Baghdad provincial council’s budget

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi capital’s provincial council has a budget deficit of around 155 billion Iraqi dinars, a member of Baghdad’s provincial council said on Saturday. “The Iraqi Finance Ministry reduced provincial councils’ budgets by 75 percent,” Mohammed al-Rubaie told IraqiNews.com news agency. “We have a difficult situation with the contractors who signed contracts with the former council to execute projects in Baghdad,” he added. For her part, Anwar Jameel, the director of the construction, housing and services department in the Iraqi Planning Ministry said that the provincial councils’ current problem lies in debts accumulated on the pervious councils due to projects that were contracted upon in 2008. “Current financial allocations do not cover their debts, and this issue prevents new councils from inking new contracts,” Jameel said. “Councils should fulfill their previous commitments before planning to sign new contracts,” she noted. MH (P) / SS 2