The elected members of cantonment boards across the province, including Rawalpindi and Chaklala, who were suspended for the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for May 14 have not been reinstated even after the passage of the date without the elections taking place.
This has thrown the boards in disarray and stalled several projects with key meetings and important decisions on civic issues also delayed.
The election commission had suspended elected members of cantonment boards across Punjab in light of a Supreme Court order regarding Punjab Assembly elections. The decision was taken to ensure the office bearers didn’t influence the polling process.
However, neither the election could be held on the scheduled date nor the elected members of the cantonment board were restored after the scheduled date.
This means board meeting of elected members of cantonment boards and nominated official members, held under the chairmanship of the president of the cantonment board, the local station commander, has not taken place. In this meeting, development schemes proposed by the elected members as well as financial and administrative issues related to the cantonments are approved.
In addition, new development schemes related to water supply, roads, streets and sewerage, matters related to construction and maintenance are also approved in the board meeting.
Other than development schemes suggested by elected members, these meetings take decisions to address the problems related to basic civic amenities.
It should be noted that the overwhelming majority of the elected members in the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards are supporters of or affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The elected vice presidents of the two cantonment boards are also PML-N workers.
An elected member of the cantonment board, when contacted, said that not a single board meeting had been convened in the last three months. Despite being a representative of the people, I cannot do anything to solve their issues, he added.
The member said that the ECP should issue an order to lift the suspension on the elected members of the cantonment board.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2023.
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