March 7, 2003	Friday	Muharram 3, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, March 6: The district council on Thursday constituted a committee to identify the problems confronting the administrative functioning of the union councils.

The council, which resumed its session after a break of seven days, asked the newly formed five-member body to complete its findings within 10 days. The report alongwith the recommendations for rectifying the problems would be presented to the provincial local government minister by the convener of the district council, Raja Javed Ikhlas.

The committee would be headed by Malik Muneer, district officer finance, while council officer Mian Afzal would be its secretary.

This decision was taken on resolutions moved by different council members regarding the absence of proper guidelines for the functioning of the union councils, which are the basic units of the existing local governance system.

Members taking part in the discussion on the motion said they were working almost in darkness and were lacking technical guidance for dealing with day to day matters facing the union councils.

Faced with an unruly house causing inordinate delay in the disposal of the agenda, the convener hinted at taking measures for ‘disciplining’ the members.

He said the resolution of any member not turning up in time before the council session to present it would be cancelled from the agenda and the member would not be subsequently allowed to present the same motion in that particular session.

Malik Wasim Aslam through a point of order pointed out absence of street lights in most parts of the city. This issue, he said, was of special significance because of Muharram when Majalis were being held late in the night and processions were also brought out. The proceedings lacked lustre because of the absence of quorum and officers of the district government.

The session was later prorogued sine die for want of quorum with the council hardly able to start discussion on its original agenda. Most of the time is consumed on points of order.