Powers of elected representatives of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and 46 Union Councils (UCs) have not been restored fully and the government and bureaucracy had partially implemented the Supreme Court in this regard.
Several UCs were facing problems including non-availability of bank accounts and inadequate staff. Owing to the non-availability of NADRA software for the municipal corporation, union councils were facing problems in issuing death, birth and nikkah certificates.
In the meanwhile, Rawalpindi Mayor Naseem Khan has summoned a budget meeting on November 23.
Local bodies remained suspended for 20 months in Punjab before they were restored by the apex court. The tenure of the current local bodies will end on December 31 if they were not given an extension to compensate for the suspension period.
The Supreme Court has sought a reply from the Punjab chief secretary regarding the implementation of the court order, however, the orders have not been implemented to the fullest.
All 46 union councils of Rawalpindi lack office secretaries and other clerical staff and one secretary is currently looking after the affairs of four UCs.
The top court had restored the local bodies in March this year and it had ordered to transfer the charge to the elected representatives.
Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Naseem said that he has summoned a session and the budget from October 17, 2021, to June 30, 2022, will be approved.
He said the Punjab government had already committed contempt of court by not implementing the Supreme Court orders.
He said the top court will be informed next week that the elected representatives were not being deliberately allowed to work, which was taking a toll on the citizens in terms of the resolution of civic issues.
The Rawalpindi mayor said that development projects were at a complete halt while citizens were facing extreme difficulties due to the non-issuance of birth, death and nikkah certificates.
Sardar Naseem said that if the local bodies' representatives were not allowed to play their due role, a next move will be announced after consultation at the budget meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2021.
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