LG representatives protest lack of funds

Demand restoration of original local government act

PESHAWAR:

Local government representatives from across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) staged a protest demonstration in Peshawar's Jinnah Park over the lack of funds and powers.

A large number of Union Council chairmen, councilors and mayors of different districts reached Jinnah Park early in the morning and recorded their protest against the non-provision of funds by the PTI-led provincial government.

The protestors also chanted slogans against the provincial government, demanding restoration of the Local Government Act in its original form and release of the allocated funds for the Provincial Finance Commission Award.

They also demanded that the elected LG representatives be given offices, powers and necessary facilities. The demonstrators also urged that the share of local governments in the PFC Award should be increased from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

They lamented that three years have been lost in the four-year term of LGs, so the provincial government must extend the term of local governments by another three years.

Mardan Mayor Hidayatullah Mayar said that it is a peaceful protest against the usurpation of LG rights after the elections were held in 2021.

They lamented that not even one rupee of fund has been given to LG representatives in the past three years, due to which they have had no public participation.

They have been protesting in the province for the last three years, with negotiations held with Chief Minister Amin Gandapur three times, verbally all the demands were accepted, but nothing practical emerged.

The Mayor said that the LG representatives will continue protest until the demands are met. Arrangements have also been made for people coming from far-flung areas, he added.

Addressing the protesters, Awami National Party Provincial President, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that due to the lack of seriousness of the provincial government, the local government system has paralyzed across the province.

The delay in transferring powers to local government representatives in K-P is a sign of government incompetence