NMDs suffer for lack of municipal staff
PHOTO: FILE
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan has ordered immediate resolution of the basic issues being faced by the tehsil governments in newly merged districts, saying that all the required staff including tehsil municipal officers (TMOs) will be posted to TMAs in tribal districts.
He also ordered arrangements for the offices of local government representatives in the merged districts.
The chief minister was talking to a 13-member delegation of tehsil chairmen from newly merged districts who apprised him of the issues being faced by local governments in the tribal districts.
Provincial Caretaker Ministers Hamid Shah and Manzoor Afridi, and Secretary Local government Aamir Afaq were also present in the meeting.
The delegation informed the CM about the issues being faced by LG representatives including unavailability of offices and other basic facilities for tehsil chairmen, shortage of TMOs and other staff in merged districts.
The delegates said that due to lack of staff in tehsil municipal administrations, the office work of local governments is suffering, adding that LG staff also faced the issue of non-payment of salaries.
Tehsil chairmen requested the chief minister for provision of operational grants to TMAs of merged districts to make them sustainable as they are financially weak due to the non-availability of funds.
On Thursday, the chief minister said that people of the merged districts have rendered countless sacrifices during the last four decades and the provincial government will do its best to help them get their constitutional rights.
He maintained that every Thursday has been reserved for meeting with tribesmen where directives are issued on the spot to resolve their problems.
The CM further said that his government was going all out to get the constitutional rights of merged districts, adding that he met the prime minister twice in this regard.
He added that the issue regarding share of the ex-Fata in NFC award has also been taken up with the federal government and a formal letter to this effect has been sent to federal finance minister.
“People of the merged districts should get their constitutional and legal rights at all cost,” he said, making it clear that the caretaker provincial government will not compromise on legitimate rights of the newly merged districts.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2023.