RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Finance Department has sought details of funds available with the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) and its liabilities, so separate accounts may be maintained before the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and District Council are established.

The garrison city’s district administration will be divided into two parts: urban areas will be led by the RMC, while municipal committees in the six tehsils and the rural areas will be looked after by the District Council.

A commissioner system will also be introduced in the district, but the government has not notified the end of the old local government system introduced by former president Gen Pervez Musharraf in 2001 yet.

CDGR claims it can only provide details after Jan 5

The finance department has directed the CDGR to submit details by the end of December, but the CDGR has refused to do so before January, claiming that the State Bank will issue the closing balance details on Jan 5, after which the necessary details will be provided.

A senior CDGR official told Dawn the provincial finance department sent a pro forma to all 36 district administrations across the province, for details on funds available with them.

He said the province’s district administrations received billions of rupees in the last six months of the current fiscal year from the provincial government, in the name of grant-in-aid, for which MNAs and ticket holders from the ruling party recommend development schemes.

He said funds are managed by district administrations, under the supervision of the district coordination officer (DCO) – who will likely become the deputy commissioner. He said the funds are managed in a separate account, supervised by the DCO and the executive district officer finance, and this system would continue in the future.

“The problem will occur after the local government is formed, as the RMC will replace the Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) and the Potohar Town Municipal Administration will be replaced by the District Council,” the official said.

He added that 14 urban union councils in Potohar Town will be under the District Council instead of the RMC. He said the separation of assets between departments responsible for various services, such as health, education, buildings, roads, the environment and community development, will also face problems, but will be taken up before the mayor and District Council chairmen when they take oath.

A senior RTMA official told Dawn that the administration has also demanded that the CDGR hand over the Pirwadhai Bus Terminal and its property – including 800 shops, four hotels, two petrol stations and Suzuki and wagon stands – before the local government is formed.

“Before 2001, the property was owned by the RMC, but after the formation of Musharraf’s local government system, the property was handed over to the CDGR. But with the start of the new system, it has been demanded that all the property be returned to the RMC so it can get rent from the property, which is over Rs10 million annually.”

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2016