20 March 2004	Saturday	28 Muharram 1425

ISLAMABAD, March 19: A large number of women councillors have expressed their dissatisfaction over the performance of the local government institutions and held their male counterparts and Nazims responsible for non-functioning of the system.

According to a study conducted by the Pattan Development Organization in 10 districts of the Punjab, majority of women councillors believe that the union and district councils are not working as institutions.

The women councillors were of the view that these councils had been made non-functional and were incapable to serve any purpose. The survey shows that despite much capacity-building programmes, the level of awareness among women councillors about the local government system appears to be very low. However, the will of councillors to learn about their role and responsibilities and to serve their constituents is still very strong.

It recommends that a regular community-based monitoring system should be developed on priority basis. It also recommends participation of political parties at union council level, which will not only strengthen party political culture at grass roots level, but also enhance local accountabilities.

The report said the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) should utilize electronic media to inform people and educate councillors about the local government system, besides seeking abolition of indirect method of elections for all categories of elected bodies.

It also stresses on the need for making sub- committees functional by offering extra funds to union, Tehsil and district councils. The report said nearly 70 per cent women councillors did not know anything about Citizen Community Boards (CCBs) and Public Safety Commissions (PSCs), which showed that the NRB and the government had failed to disseminate information even about the presence of these institutions.

It is pertinent to note here that under the Local Government Ordinance 2001, the district governments are bound to allocate 25 per cent of the budget for the CCBs.

Similarly, the report said, the police performance had not improved despite presence of the PSCs. This raises serious questions about the impact and level of functionality of these newly-created institutions, it added.

Meanwhile, the women councillors reported that often they were told to sign or put thumb impression on already prepared documents and not engaged in decision-making process at union council sessions.

They also complained of not getting equal opportunity to participate in the budget preparation and budget approval processes.