RMC asked to bifurcate annual budget

RAWALPINDI: After the promulgation of the Punjab Local Government Act 2019, the provincial government has directed the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to bifurcate its next fiscal budget.

Under the proposed plan, the first tenure for the fiscal budget will commence from July 1 and terminate on November 6, 2019. Similarly, the second half of the budget will commence from November 7 and will culminate at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2020.

The RMC has been further directed to send the revised budget estimates to the Punjab government.

Development projects in the province, particularly in the garrison city, have stalled for the past year owing to the dissolution of the local bodies in the province long before their tenure formally ended.

Only small projects are underway in piecemeal due to a shortage of funds.

Under the new system, the 24 rural Union Councils (UCs) of Rawalpindi have been merged with the 46 urban UCs of RMC.

These 70 UCs will now operate under the corporation.

However, funds for the 24 rural UCs have not been transferred to RMC so far.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.