District Council absorbs seven municipal committees

Village councils increased to 106, neighbourhood councils now number 24

RAWALPINDI:

Under the new local government system, all seven municipal committees of the Rawalpindi district and Municipal Corporation Murree have been merged into District Council Rawalpindi and have also been declared its units.

Employees, vehicles, assets, budget and sources of income of these institutions have been brought under the control of District Council Rawalpindi.

The merged local bodies will have one official bank account and a single annual budget for the next financial year.

With this decision, the number of village councils has increased to 106, while the number of neighbourhood councils has surged to 24.

Meanwhile, the Additional Deputy Commissioner for Revenue has been appointed the Administrator of the District Council, which will now consist of a total of 130 village and neighbourhood councils.

According to the new Local Government Act, two neighbourhood councils and 21 village councils of Municipal Corporation Murree, three neighbourhood councils and nine village councils of Municipal Committee Kotli Sattian, four neighbourhood councils and 12 village councils of Municipal Committee Kahuta, four neighbourhood councils and 10 village councils of Municipal Committee Kallar Syedan, six neighbourhood councils and 28 village councils of Municipal Committee Gujjar Khan, four neighbourhood councils and nine village councils of Municipal Committee Taxila, 17 village councils of Rawalpindi tehsil and one neighbourhood council of Daultala Town have been merged as units in the District Council.

The staff of all these municipal committees and towns have been given the status of District Council Staff and all their vehicles and other assets have also been handed over to the District Council, whereas according to the ordinance, the head of District Council will be called District Mayor.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2022.