Opting once again a dual system for local governance, the Sindh government has increased bureaucratic control in rural areas while the urban areas have been exempted.
According to a decision taken at a meeting at CM House on Wednesday, all municipal bodies in Sindh, excluding Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana, have been placed under the administrative and financial control of their respective commissioners and deputy commissioners. This means that the municipal affairs of rural Sindh will now be run by bureaucrats and urban areas will not be affected by this decision.
"The notification has been issued," confirmed Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui, adding that the municipal corporations in urban centres will not be affected by this decision.
According to Siddiqui, the government made this decision to maintain financial discipline and ensure transparent utilisation of the development funds of district councils, municipal committees, town committees and union committees by giving the controlling authority to the commissioners and deputy commissioners. The decision will not be implemented in Karachi because there are no district councils and municipal committees, he added.
"This is a minus-one formula," pointed out Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator Rauf Farooqui. "Karachi will retain its old position. We, the administrators, will run the show, not the bureaucrats," he added.
Role of commissioners
Based on Wednesday's decision, the assistant commissioners will act as administrative officers for the town committees of the talukas and sub-divisions, whereas the deputy commissioners of the district will be the controlling authority of all town committees of the district.
Similarly, the deputy commissioners will have to perform as administrative officers of the district councils whereas the divisional commissioners will be the controlling authority of all municipal committees and district councils in their respective divisions.
Apart from development work, these bureaucrats have been made responsible for conducting audit inspections, revising budget estimates and re-appropriating the municipal and town committee and district councils. "These officers have to monitor the overall performance and report to the chief secretary," explained the spokesperson for CM House.
The decision was made given massive financial irregularities in the accounts of the respective offices, said the spokesperson. "The CM repeatedly warned them."
Local government minister Sharjeel Memon claimed that the people of Sindh are failing to reap any benefits of the funds the government releases. This is why the government decided to take an iron hand and book any officer found involved in irregularities, he added.
Referring to the CM's instructions, Memon said the CM has called for expenditure reports for the last six months from all town municipal officers, issued show-cause notices to 79 officers and suspended five of them.
Is the chief minister or the provincial government authorised to make this decision without legislation? Memon responded that the CM is the chief executive of the province and the service, general administration and coordination department issued the notification on his directives.
Opposition reacts
The opposition parties in Sindh Assembly rejected this new notification and called it merely an attempt to divide Sindh into two administrative units. "Why can the government not bring a uniform system? We will oppose it at all platforms," claimed Pakistan Muslim League - Functional's parliamentary leader Nand Kumar.
The Pakistan Peoples Party government had previously introduced different local government systems for urban and rural areas but people from all walks of life had rejected it, he recalled. "After a massive movement against two separate systems, the government had no other option but to withdraw its own decision. The same thing will be repeated again," he said.
Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz MPA Shafi Jamote said they will devise their line of action after consulting party leaders. Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders were reluctant to give their viewpoint. "We have not yet heard about it," said MPA Khalid Ahmed.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (2)
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What a shameful decision. These stupid elected politicians give their powers to colonial bureaucracy. If you cannot implement Local Government System in its true spirit then handover provincial and federal governments to army and district governments to bureaucracy and leave this country, we don't need you.
Mr. Tunio, there is nothing wrong with having two LG different systems in a province. Take the example of California in USA, Several cities like LA have greater autonomy than the rest.