Amended LG bill sails through Sindh Assembly amid opposition uproar

Ruling PPP approves law to place Solid Waste Management Board under mayors of the metropolitan/municipal corporations

KARACHI:

The Sindh Assembly on Saturday passed amended local government bill amid opposition’s protest and Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) was placed under mayors of the metropolitan/municipal corporations in the province.

Following a seven-year controversy over the function of SSWMB that was established in the province for the collection and disposal of solid waste, the provincial assembly finally enacted laws allowing mayors in all the divisional metropolitan municipal corporations to look after its functions in a bid to improve the performance of sanitation services.

Earlier, the SSWMB was placed under the chief minister and later it was the local government minister was tasked to run its affairs.

The bill was passed amidst the opposition parties' protest as their members tore apart copies of the agenda and created pandemonium during the assembly session, chaired by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani.

"We are passing this law after a long deliberation with different stakeholders and with consultation of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail. I fail to understand why the opposition is making hue and cry in the session," provincial Minister for Local Government Nasir Shah said while moving the bill.

He added that with the recent amendments, the provincial government has empowered the local bodies.

According to the law, the SSWMBs will be established in divisional headquarters including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad where the mayor of the metropolitan/municipal corporations will be the chairperson of board while the commissioner of the area will work as vice-chairman with two other members.

Also read: Sindh reverses decision on LG bill

"The divisional board may have authority to include any other area such as town committees, municipal committees adjacent to the metropolitan of municipal corporation under its operational control," the draft read, adding that a steering committee will also be constituted under the supervision of local government minister with commissioners, secretary local government, secretary finance, concern mayors and two each persons from academia and NGOs as its members to provide over all policy guidelines to the boards on various issues.

"Sindh Solid Waste Management law was passed in 2014. Since then, the opposition parties have been demanding to put it under mayor. We are doing it now. Opposition members instead of appreciating us have created pandemonium in the house," the LG minister added.

Earlier, the Sindh Assembly reversed the controversial amendments to the local government law, which was passed with majority votes of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on November 26.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail refused to give assent to the local government bill and raised objections over various clauses of the bill.

The observations were about the election of mayor, deputy mayor, chairman and vice-chairman of the councils. "How can the council elect any person as mayor, deputy mayor or chairman and vice-chairman. Those people should be given the conveyed responsibilities who are elected representatives of local councils," the governor said in his observation.

Apart from this, the governor had expressed dismay over the "secret ballot" in the local bodies’ elections, which according to him can lead to horse-trading and suggested ‘show of hand’ voting method.

In another observation, the Sindh governor gave his observation over the immovable property tax that was shifted from local bodies to the excise and taxation department.

Excise and Taxattion Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, referring to the cabinet decision, said that the provincial government had accepted the governor's observations and wanted to move the revised bill.

He then gave the floor to Local Government Minister Nasir Shah to move the bill in light of cabinet decision.

Subsequently Shah moved the amended bill saying, "We realise that the law was passed in haste because of the election commission's pressure to finalise the bill and submit its copy to the chief election commissioner without delay. We on the directives of our party leader Bilawal Bhutto have revised the law and are overcoming the opposition and Sindh governor's objections," LG minister said while moving the bill, which was passed with majority votes.

"In this law, we have empowered the union councils too. The officials of the education department, health, police, agriculture, livestock, sports, women development department will submit their quarterly reports to local councils including town committees, municipal committees and union councils," the local government minister said, adding that the council will deliberate on the reports and send their observations to the head of the relevant departments.

Opposition members while protesting on the issue tore the agenda copies and chanted slogans against the PPP government.

The members belonging to PPP and PTI also came face to face threatening and pushing each other in the house.

Also read: PPP defends LG bill

Some opposition members surrounded the speaker's podium and threw agenda copy towards the speaker.

Speaking on the issue, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah called the opposition members an "uneducated opposition", which according to him have no idea about the legislation and public interest issues.

"We have made the law with consultation of the governor who belongs to PTI to fulfil their demands. But they are still protesting against it," he remarked.

After the protest and walkout by the opposition, the assembly passed amendments to "Sindh factories law", enhancing the penalties against those that fail to register their business with authorities concerned.