Needed: full-time officials

LOCAL bodies’ institutions in Azad Kashmir were dissolved in 1996 soon after the inception of the People’s Party government. Instead of holding fresh elections, the regime opted for appointing political workers to head these institutions.

These politically-appointed heads were, however, removed, under army pressure, by the government before the last year’s general election. The charge of the LB institutions was given to government servants, mostly belonging to the management group, that is the deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners.

One does not question the worth or abilities of these officers but the fact is that their own job is so pressing that they cannot afford to spare time for any additional responsibility. Hence, the LB institutions could not get as much attention from them as they required. As a result, it rendered most of these institutions almost unable to serve the public.

The paucity of funds, which the LB institutions have been facing since the abolition of the octroi system, is a the main factor behind the declining services on their part, but it is also true that the absence of whole-time bosses has also contributed much towards aggravating the situation. There are few exceptions.

For example, the additional charge of the administrator of the Municipal Corporation, Muzaffarabad, was given to the director of the local government and rural development department, Khwaja Saleem Bismil, who was already holding the charge of the election commissioner, local bodies.

As director of LG & RD he would spend more time and energy on preparing and overseeing schemes for the state as a whole and, hence, could not find time to sit in the corporation office. In Mirpur, where the charge of the municipal corporation administrator was held by the additional deputy commissioner, the situation was not much different.

The present government had sought to appoint its workers as administrators of the LB institutions till the holding of the much-awaited LB polls, but couldn’t implement its plans for want of approval by the “concerned quarters”. Last December the LG & RD minister, Raja Nisar Ahmed, had transferred the charge of administrator of the Mirpur Municipal Corporation from the ADC to Khwaja Ghulam Rasool, secretary of the local government board. Reports reaching here say he is doing well there. Last week, he was permanently posted as administrator of the Municipal Corporation, Mirpur, and will hold the office till the upcoming LB polls.

In Muzaffarabad, Ghulam Mustafa Qureshi, a senior officer of the local government department, has been posted as whole-time administrator of the civic body. Known for his social activities, Mr Qureshi, it is hoped, would do well to serve his constituency. Although he would have a lot of things to plan and execute in the discharge of his service, one thing the people expect of him to do first is to do away with the menace of stray dogs that has led to increase in dog-bite cases.

The next problem that must draw his attention is setting in order the system of streetlights whose absence have encouraged thugs and thieves to roam about in search of their prey.

Again, shortage of space for burial is a longstanding problem that should be resolved without wasting much time. Thus, more land should be set aside for graveyards. Moreover, the existing graveyards should be cleared of the dens of drug addicts.

The government would do well to lend help to the corporation in meeting some urgent demands. But as a first step it should end a rift between the corporation and the development authority, Muzaffarabad. The tussle is hindering the implementation of a number of schemes. All that is needed is intervention of the relevant ministers to settle the sphere and jurisdiction of work of the two civic institutions.