Non-elected members get important portfolios

In a surprising move, the Chaklala Cantonment Board has handed over the chairmanship of the two most important committees to nominated members instead of the elected members.

Despite objections from the elected members, the chairmanship of the building committee and the assessment committee was assigned to the government nominated members.

During a CCB meeting, the elected members objected to the revised and inflated water bill and demanded the exemption to five-marla houses constructed with the building plan. The meeting referred the matter to the respective committees.

The elected members took the plea that water was not available to citizens but the supply charges have been revised and increased without any justification. They also demanded that houses up to five marlas built without any building plan should be given the right to approve their building plans under the amnesty scheme without payment of any fine.

Board President Brigadier Salman Nazar presided over the meeting. Executive Officer Zaki Haider, Vice President Chaudhry Changes Khan, elected and nominated members of the CCB participated.

The meeting also approved giving the chairmanship of sanitation, market and arbitration committees to the elected members.

The meeting rejected the proposal to give a 100 per cent exemption in property tax to widows living in posh areas due to strong opposition from elected members. The elected members took the stance that there were a large number of applications pending for tax exemption of poor widows living in the densely populated areas who have not been granted an exemption, so how could widows in the posh areas be granted 100 per cent tax exemption.

After hearing the views of the elected members, the proposal was rejected.

The meeting also approved 100 residential building plans. The meeting did not approve any new development scheme of general works, however, it approved construction and repair schemes and schemes for installation of street lights. The meeting also approved extending the tenure of employees hired under section 9 of the Cantonment Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2022.