KARACHI: New body to find role for MPs in LG affairs
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 30: The federal government has constituted a 10-member committee, members of which included Local Bodies ministers from all the provinces, with the task to evolve modalities for projects proposed by the district governments and newly-elected legislators for their respective constituencies.
This was stated by the Home Minister, Syed Sardar Ahmad, on Thursday in the question hour during the Sindh assembly session. Legislators maintained that they were facing difficulties in honouring commitments they had made to the people as, under the new LG system, the district governments were independent and there was a gap between the second and third tier of the system.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Mohammad Hussain, who is the provincial Minister for Local Government, availed the opportunity to revive the process whereby an amendment to the SLGO was made to curtail the powers of district government and they were brought under the administrative and financial control of the provincial government.
He took the line from the remarks of the MPA, Irfan Gul Magsi, and a Minister, Dr Arbab Rahim pertaining to the provincial government’s lack of control on development projects being implemented by the district governments.
The MQM had stayed away from the local government elections which paved the way for the religious parties and the PPP-backed candidates to take over the third tier of governance.
Mr Hussain claimed that there was no formula with reference to powers and responsibilities of the provincial and district governments and elected representatives.
In the backdrop of MQM’s reservations to the SLGO and the party’s simmering conflict with the religious parties, Mr Hussain’s intentions became clear when he raised the question as to what were the powers of the district government organizations vis-a-vis the provincial government.
He said the devolution plan, under which the district government system was introduced, was enforced when no elected or political government was in the office. Therefore, he said, the plan should be modified in such a way that elected MPAs and MNAs could also have a say in the development projects of their respective constituencies.
Mr Hussain said he had asked the Chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau to find out a solution to this problem and determine the role of MNAs and MPAs in development activities.
His views were supported by the Peoples Party Parliamentarians’ Jam Saifullah Dharejo from the opposition benches. He recalled that previous non-elected Sindh government had, in fact, raised 350 objections with regard to the police reforms.
He proposed that a committee, comprising MPAs, should be formed to tackle such issues whereas another committee should examine police reforms.
The Speaker, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, admitted an adjournment motion put forward by Mr Abdullah Murad seeking a debate on unemployment in the province. The debate would be held for two hours on Saturday.
LAW & ORDER: The legislators continued discussion on law and order in the province saying that it was not satisfactory. The discussion started on a motion moved by Home Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed. An adjournment motion, tabled by Ms Nasreen Chandio, was also attached with his motion.
Participating the debate, Imtiaz Shaikh of Sindh Democratic Alliance described the law and order in Sindh as ‘bad’ referring to the incidents of dacoity, tribal conflict and kidnapping for ransom in rural areas as well as crimes like vehicle-snatching etc. in Karachi.
He also referred to the kidnapping of some workers from Jacobabad railway station and lamented that even roads were not safe. He said the officials should be given a free hand and employment be provided on merit. He called for more funds and better training for police against which, he said, there were a lot of complaints from people.
Ms Nasrin Chandio said that as soon as the legislators we reached the assembly, they got involved in the government-opposition row. She said law and order should be the top priority of government. She cautioned that some 7,000 people would be rendered jobless if 700 rice mills in Sindh and Balochistan were closed.
Mr Kanwar Naveed said that law and order in Sindh bad been worsening over the last 50 years. He held local administrations and governments responsible for encouraging the crime.
