Tug-of-war: Faisalabad municipality, DC face-off over govt properties

DC reluctant to give the administrative and financial control of General Bus Stand

FAISALABAD: The administration of the Faisalabad Municipal Corporation (FMC) has demanded the deputy commissioner to take appropriate steps for the formal transfer of its legitimate properties for effectively running the affairs of the municipality. The properties included the General Bus Stand buildings, companies, authorities, municipal library and asphalt plant.

In a communication sent to the Faisalabad deputy commissioner on Saturday, the FMC demanded that the issue of transfer of the number of buildings and various funds were discussed in a meeting on January 14. However, steps have not been taken nor any feedback has been received so far.



The letter pointed out the General Bus Stand situated on an area of 247 kanal, including three petrol pumps, 164 workshops, 211 shops etc, is owned by the FMC yet the same is still in the custody of the Road Transfer Authority secretary. Besides, the funds and revenue generated from the GBS are still in the domain of the DC, the document stated.

It revealed, “Although the entire control of the GBS is under the administration which is also receiving the revenue from this source on a daily basis, yet the FMC formulates payments of various development projects as well as payments of various liabilities.” “The FMC is responsible for making the payment of the staff working at the GBS,” the letter added.

However, the FMC contended the properties are one of the main sources of its income and on the basis of the revenue generated from all these sources it has to formulate payments of various development projects in order to clear its liabilities.”

The FMC also pointed out that another main source of its income is parking fee, yet the same is being collected by the parking company.

Similarly, “The FMC has also been restrained from collecting money generated from advertisements displayed and affixed on signboards, although under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013 it is the mandate of the FMC to regulate affixing of signboards and advertisements,” the communication said.

Meanwhile, FMC Chief Officer Muhammad Zubair told The Express Tribune, “The General Bus Stand was developed and remained under the control of the FMC which also owned its land and other assets.”

In addition, after the devaluation plan and changes in the functioning of the FMC, the control of the General Bus Stand along with its assets and right of collection of revenue from its sources has been assigned to the city district government in 2002 that remained under the control of the city government till 2015, he said.

However, former DCO Noorul Ameen Mangal, who was also holding the charge of administrator in 2014, passed an order to give the financial and administrative control to the RTA secretary who was his subordinate.

Taking advantage of this administrative order, the deputy commissioner is reluctant to give back the administrative and financial control of the GBS to the FMC which is not appropriate in any manner, he asserted.

“FMC Mayor Malik Abdul Razzaq Ali asked the district administration to transfer the financial and administrative control of the GBS and other valuable properties and sources of revenue to the FMC,” he maintained.

“We are helpless under the present circumstances and paucity of funds has literally rendered the FMC powerless. The mayor and house of the FMC should meet soon to chalk out a strategy to resolve the longstanding grievances of the citizens and for the improvement of civic infrastructure,” Zubair added.

On the other hand, DC Sulaman Ghani was repeatedly contacted but he was not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2017.