Devolution of power: LG representatives take oath

UC chairmen, vice-chairmen and general councilors among 1,326 sworn in

RAWALPINDI: As many as 1,326 newly elected local government representatives in Rawalpindi district took oaths on Thursday.

They included union council (UCs) chairmen, vice chairmen and general councilors. The Rawalpindi District Council has120 UCs, the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation has 46 UCs, and the Municipal Corporation Murree has eight UCs.

Similarly, Municipal Committee Kallar Syedan has 23 wards, Municipal Committee Gujar Khan has 19 wards, Municipal Committee Taxila has 22 wards, Municipal Committee Kahota has14 wards and Kotli Sattian has 14 wards.

For district council, 880 elected representatives took oath in Potohar Town Hall, while the rest in their respective tehsils while 368 representatives of Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) took oath in Rawal Town.

Interestingly, no women have been elected from urban areas of Rawalpindi or from rural areas of Potohar Town.

Meanwhile, elected representatives including chairmen, vice-chairmen and councilors from eight Kallar Sayedan UCs also took oaths at TMA Hall. While addressing the newly elected representatives, Assistant Commissioner Chaudhry Rabnawaz said that they will abide by their promises which they have made with their voters. He assured his full cooperation to the elected representatives to help them resolve issues facing the masses.

Elections could not be held in 10 UCs of the district council due to delimitation issues and court cases.

Talking to the Express Tribune, an official of the district government said that the election for district council chairman and municipal corporation mayors would be held soon after election on reserved seats for women, technocrats, labour and youth in the councils and corporations were held.

The official said that the elected representatives will have face financial crunch in the current fiscal year as according to him the provincial government has not allocated funds for the local government in current fiscal year.

The official said that the bureaucracy will continue to run financial and administrative affairs of the district until the elected representatives were allocated funds.

The PML-N is all set to take the two top jobs in the RMC.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2016.