KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani has said that amendments will be made in the LG law on the suggestion of provincial lawmakers to make the system more effective.

“We will certainly amend the [LG] Act if elected representatives suggest any such amendment for making the local government system more effective,” he said on Wednesday while speaking at a programme organised by the Local Council Association Sindh.

The minister also announced that the LG law would be amended in the next session of the Sindh Assembly.

He said that another amendment to be tabled in the assembly’s next session related to amend a clause in the act to approve an honorarium to all elected members, including those returned to the union council and union committees on reserved seats.

At present, only chairmen and vice chairmen are entitled to a monthly honorarium of Rs10,000 and Rs8,000, respectively.

Saeed Ghani says certain amendments will be tabled in the next assembly session

Talking to Dawn, Mr Ghani said that the local government commission had been activated and now monthly reports were being received from district councils and UCs.

He said earlier no district council or UC could call a tender without the approval of the LG secretary and approval of the minister, but now this condition had been removed and the institutions were empowered to issue and approve tenders.

Similarly, he said, the budget-making powers were also devolved to the chairmen and the councils concerned.

The minister said that the efforts were being made to devolve powers to the lowest level by carrying out necessary amendments in the LG law.

‘SSWMB not performing’

Later, he told media that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) was not discharging its responsibilities as per the agreement signed by them.

However, he claimed, the solid waste management situation was better than what it used to be a year ago.

He said that in Karachi the annual development programme was prepared by the LG institution whereas in other areas deputy commissioners concerned prepared the ADP.

He said that this would be taken into consideration to include it in the proposed amendments in the LG law.

Earlier, association’s president Komail Shah and other members highlighted the issues being faced by the local councils in addressing people’s problems.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2018