OKARA: The local government set-up is still dysfunctional as the Punjab government has not framed the rules of business (RoB) for the local bodies.

Talking to Dawn, a group of members of the district council, led by Malik Afzal Wattoo and Rai Muhammad Shafi Kharal, says all the seven municipal committees (MCs), 140 union councils (UCs) and the district council in Okara are not functional yet.

The district assembly and its subordinate departments, including works, finance, services and regulations, and other staff of local government offices cannot work without RoB to distribute the powers and run other procedural business, the members say.

Similarly, the district council cannot establish its standing committees, nor disburse the honorarium and salaries of the officials sans RoB, they add.

After the local elections in October 2015, the strength of Okara district UCs had increased from 114 to 140. The newly-established 26 UCs in the district have no business and the old ones from which the new UCs were created are facing complications in maintenance of the records of birth, death and nikkah registers.

In the absence of RoB, the residents of the new 26 UCs are finding it hard to receive the copies of the record and get them attested which may also delay decisions in cases pending in the courts.

The Punjab government has established authorities in education and health departments at the district level after the issuance of new ordinance in this regard but these bodies are without any duties and powers as the former executive authorities in the districts have been abolished.

Similarly, the retired UC officials are not getting their pensions due to the absence of the RoB. The elected UC chairmen are given the status of district council member, but till the formation of RoB, the local governments will remain non-functional, raising doubts over the Punjab govt’s seriousness about making these bodies fully functional.

Published in Dawn January 24th, 2017