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| April 24, 2003 | Thursday | Safar 21, 1424 |
NRB to study cut in Nazims’ powers
PESHAWAR, April 23: The National Reconstruction Bureau will prepare a report on the slashing of the administrative powers of district Nazims through executive orders by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government, NRB Chairman Daniyal Aziz said on Tuesday.
He asked district Nazims and heads of town municipal administrations to provide the copies of orders, notifications and instructions issued recently by the provincial government which, in their view, curtailed their administrative powers under the Local Government Ordinance, 2001.
In a meeting with Nazims of various districts and TMAs of the province on Tuesday, the NRB chief assured them that they had not been left at the mercy of the provincial government.
He said Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali would shortly meet district and Tehsil Nazims and Naib Nazims and listen to their problems.
“Every measure would be taken to protect the local government system, because it has been formulated after extensive homework and it can not be allowed to fail,” Mr Aziz said and added that the government was taking note of the situation.
“After getting the relevant information and discussing it with the authorities concerned, including the governor and the chief minister, the NRB would submit a report to the relevant quarters,” he said.
The Nazims cited executive orders and notifications issued by the provincial government and complained that administrative and financial powers of the heads of district governments had been curbed.
They referred to an order replacing district Nazims by the district coordination officers as chairmen of the district development committees.
They said the move coupled with the reconstitution of departmental committees for postings and transfers had rendered them ineffective.
“The district Nazims have no say in administrative affairs or planning development schemes,” Nowshera District Nazim Pervez Khattak said. He asked the chairman to clarify if the mentors of the local government system were no more interested in continuing with it.
“We have been left to face the wrath of the people as the provincial government is using us to do the dirty work,” said Kohat Nazim Malik Asad.
The Nazims said the local government commission was being used by the provincial government to victimize district Nazims and it was causing harassment in the local governments.
They said the commission should have equal representation from the parties concerned. At present it only represented the provincial government, they said. They said the commission should be led by a senior high court judge instead of the provincial local government minister.
The NRB chairman promised to look into their suggestions.
The meeting was held on the request by a group of disgruntled Nazims who have constituted an association for a struggle against the NWFP government’s measures. Nazims and Naib Nazims of Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera, Abbottabad, Dir Lower, Lakki Marwat, Swat, Mansehra, Haripur, Kohat and other districts, and a number of Tehsils attended it.
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