RAWALPINDI: Monday was an auspicious day as local governments started functioning across Punjab, but the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) had a jarring start instead.

Unexpectedly, the Jinnah Hall, where the garrison city’s public representatives met for their first working session, echoed with demands for rooting out the corruption within and addressing the citizens’ civic needs first.

But the outburst appeared natural as elected public representatives had gathered to discuss the seemingly unending problems of encroachments, traffic mess and corruption after a gap of eight years. The defunct Rawal Town Municipal Administration Council had met in the same hall in November 2008.

Mayor Sardar Naseem of the PML-N, flanked by deputy mayor Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood and Chief Corporation Officer Sardar Tashfeen, conducted the session and looked unfazed. After all, his party has overwhelming majority in the house of 63, with just five members forming the opposition.

All members were present in the house except the Awami Muslim League leader and former Nazim Rawal Town, Sheikh Rashid Shafique.

Mayor Sardar Naseem welcomed all the members, assuring them that the civic body would serve all citizens without discrimination.

“There is no political divide in the city and RMC will work for the provision of civic facilities to the residents and uplift works will be carried out in all union councils soon,” he said.

“All the development work will be supervised by the respective union council chairman, whether they belong to the ruling party or the opposition,” he added, putting a spin on the new setup decreed by the Punjab government which vests the deputy commissioners of all financial and administrative powers in this regard.

Mayor Naseem said the provincial government has assured maximum funds to turn Rawalpindi into a developed area and for improving the living standard of its residents.

He noted that the Punjab government has completed development projects like the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, metro bus service, Shahbaz Sharif Park and sports ground. Now it was working to upgrade the health and education facilities in the city as well as the provision of civic facilities, using tax payers’ money in a better way.

“Apart from the development work, the civic body will improve traffic management and end the encroachments from the city areas,” he said, assuring that taxes collected will be spent on the provision of civic facilities.

Sardar Naseem, and Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood on his turn, thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for selecting them for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.

Their own party man, Raja Mushtaq, chairman of Union Council College Road, raised the issue of encroachments in the city area and said people find it difficult to visit Raja Bazaar on foot due to encroachments and the traffic mess.

“There is no traffic warden in the city to manage the traffic and the traffic police failed to control the mess on the roads,” he said.

“If the RMC wants to clear the roads and encroachments, it should end the corruption within the civic body,” he declared, adding that “Rs70 million is taken from stallholders by the civic body officials for helping them set up their stalls illegally.”

Union council Chairman Babar Jadoon of the PPP also spoke about the two ills of encroachments and traffic mess.

“The truck mafia has also been illegally facilitated by RMC officials and the traffic police in intruding the city area during the day, especially in Raja Bazaar. The house should take notice of this,” he said.

Still, Babar Jadoon assured the mayor of his support for any “positive work” undertaken by the mayor to improve civic conditions for the public.

He pointed out the nomination of opposition leader in the house and on behalf of the PPP, he presented the name of Raja Shahid Mehmood Pappu for the seat.

Mayor Sardar Naseem promised to nominate the opposition leader in the next meeting.

Published in Dawn January 3rd, 2017