Pindi's metropolitan status restored

Under new LG system, number of local bodies increased to 19 in Rawalpindi district

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has restored Rawalpindi’s metropolitan status under the new local government act, 2022.

In June, the Punjab government reduced the status of the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) to the rank of a municipal corporation after restoring the Punjab Local Government Act 2019.

Under the new act, Murree has been given the status of a municipal corporation despite having fewer union councils. The Murree Municipal Corporation will be the smallest municipality in Punjab.

Similarly, with the restoration of the district council, tehsil and town system, the number of local bodies in the Rawalpindi district has been increased to 19. The total number of local body representatives has also increased to over 500. All local bodies will fall under the Rawalpindi district council which will oversee the affairs and functions of all government agencies throughout the district. Similarly, Kotli Satian, Kahuta, Kalar Syedan, Gujar Khan and Taxila will have five tehsil councils and five municipal committees while Doltala will be a separate town. Similarly, there will be five Cantonment boards — Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Wah, Taxila and Murree — in the Rawalpindi district.The Murree Cantonment Board will have only two elected members. The Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation will continue to have 46 union councils. The chairmen of the union councils will be members of the corporation. Rural union councils will now be tehsil councils while the urban area of ​​each tehsil will be part of the municipal committee. The chairmen of the rural union councils will be direct members of the district council. Each union council will have a separate government office with a Naib Qasid, a secretary and government officials. Each union council will receive Rs125 million annually as development funds. The secretaries of the union councils will be employees of the local government department.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2022.