Pindi lawmakers call shots on city’s development projects

Uplift schemes for the district have little to no input from local govt representatives

RAWALPINDI: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had promised to bring in a representative and empowered local government system in the province. However, the local government system installed by the government in the city, has completely sidelined representatives of local bodies.

As a result, development schemes which are being prepared or initiated in the city carry more input from the national and provincial assembly lawmakers than local body officials.

Under new Local Government (LG) system introduced in Punjab by the government, The Express Tribune has learnt, that development schemes at the local bodies level have been prepared on the recommendations of either the provincial assembly or National Assembly (NA) lawmakers.

The sources further added that it has become commonplace for the MPAs or MNAs of the related constituencies to be invited to the foundation-laying or inauguration ceremonies of projects instead of local government representatives.

This despite the fact that Prime Minister Imran Khan had vehemently called for eliminating the role of MPAs or MNAs in development schemes at the grass-root level on multiple occasions.

The sources said that proposed schemes for Rawalpindi Metropolitan Municipal Corporation (RMMC), under the new local bodies system, worth Rs520 million, have been designed on the recommendations of the legislators.

The Punjab government had last year dissolved all local bodies in Punjab, well before the completion of their tenure in December 2021. In its place, the Punjab government had introduced a new local government law and a new local government system.

However, the government has yet to hold local government elections in the province to bring this system online.

With basic issues of cities pending, the Punjab government had last month upgraded the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation by giving it the status of a metropolitan corporation. Rawalpindi was also given the status of a metropolis.

The new status of Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation has been notified under the schedule Of Establishment Deployment by the Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department (LGCDD).

Following the notification last month, all former municipal officers have now been re-designated as metropolitan officers and will start implementing the new schedule of establishment deployment at the corporation.

In the first phase of the conversion, all employers working at the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation will re-join the establishment. Later, appointment on vacant posts will be made by the metropolitan corporation.

Moreover, all administrative and financial matters concerning the metropolitan corporation will be finalised before the next local government elections are held.

The LGCDD secretary has further directed to build new offices in the existing building of the corporation to house the newly-appointed officers.

Besides changing the seal and stamps, the four bank accounts of the municipal corporation in Punjab Bank will become ineffective from January 10 and money in them will be transferred to the six new bank accounts which will open under the name of Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation.

BHUs rebuilt

Meanwhile, the government has said that it has rebuilt two Basic Health Units (BHU) in the district at a cost of around Rs11 million.

Rawalpindi District Health Authority Finance and Planning Director Dr Ali Ehsan said that the buildings of BHU Bewal in Tehsil Gujjar Khan and BHU Tahtpari in Potohar town had been declared as dangerous.

Subsequently, BHU Bewal was reconstructed at a cost of Rs5.88 million, while the cost to rebuild BHU Tahtpari was Rs6.23 million.

Apart from reconstructing these two BHUs, the director said that work on reconstructing BHU Bandipur in Tehsil Kahuta is underway and is expected to be completed at a cost of Rs6.62 million soon.

Dr Ehsan added that the provision of adequate health services to the people of the rural areas was a priority of the Punjab government.

He added that the incumbent government aims to upgrade existing health facilities in the rural areas of Rawalpindi and that they will utilize all available resources to bring a visible change in the health sector.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2020.