RMMC back to work after long hiatus
The Rawalpindi Metropolitan Municipal Corporation (RMMC) on Thursday after over two years following the restoration of local bodies in Punjab.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government dissolved the local government system in the province in May 2019. However, the Supreme Court restored them on March 25 this year.
Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Muhammad Naseem formally assumed charge of the office and announced that he would run the anti-dengue campaign at the union council (UC) level. H also sought a report from RMMC Chief Officer Ali Abbas Bukhari on the cleanliness of the city, budget and development projects.
Bukhari assured the mayor that all orders would be implemented as per his policy. Naseem said meetings with the chief officer and other officials will be held immediately. He said their funds had been given to the MNAs and MPAs and local bodies’ representatives will not carry out development work.
Naseem said that he had previously also shown up to the corporation’s building in light of the Supreme Court’s orders, but he was not allowed to enter the premises. The mayor said that now that UCs had also been restored like the municipal corporation, they should be provided with the required staff and equipment.
Deputy Mayor Chaudhry Tariq and chairmen of multiple UCs including Dr Shafqat Malik, Sajjad Bhatti, Jibran Rafaqat, Chaudhry Omar Mushtaq Azhar Iqbal Satti, Malik Sultan Mahmood Fakhr Warraich, Raja Maqsood Yaseen Khan Amiruddin Mir, Jameel Qureshi, Raja Hafeez Sheikh Arshad, and others were also present.
The mayor said serving people was their first and last priority, for which they will utilise all available resources.
He said that the development schemes recommended by MNAs and MPAs will not be completed and schemes suggested by UC chairmen will be carried out.
Earlier, the Rawalpindi mayor had said that suspension of local bodies for the past two years has virtually brought development work in the city to a halt.
He had demanded the resumption of development work in the city by restoring funds of the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Municipal Corporation (RMMC). Khan had said that if funds were not provided to the corporation, they would approach the high court.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2021.