PESHAWAR, Dec 14: As part of preparations for local body elections, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government and rural development (LGRD) department has made the preliminary details of the newly-created village and neighbourhood councils public for the people’s objections and suggestions.

The lists in this respect are displayed at the offices of the deputy commissioners and former union councils’ secretaries.

The first phase of the delimitation exercise in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the creation of village councils in rural areas and neighbourhood councils in urban areas had begun on December 1. It stands completed now, say the relevant officials.

According to the officials, every village/neighbourhood council covers a population between 2,000 and 10,000.

A senior official of the LGRD department said he was hopeful that the entire delimitation exercise would be completed by January 15.

He said the district delimitation officers (DDOs) had apprised the department of the display of village and neighbourhood councils in their respective areas.

The official, however, said the total number of village and neighbourhood councils at district level was not known as those bodies’ boundaries could be changed on public complaints.

The relevant officials said the LGRD department’s assistant directors currently serving in districts as well as secretaries of the former union councils had played a crucial role in the exercise of drawing the boundaries of village and neighbourhood councils.

They said the delimitation exercise was underway smoothly as the entire data of union councils was available with the revenue department and the secretaries of the union councils.

According to them, anyone entitled to cast vote during the local body elections in the district could lodge complaints about village and neighbourhood councils with the respective DDOs by Dec 22.

They said the DDOs would hear complaints and decide about amending, altering or modifying the preliminary lists within three days and that in case the complainants was not satisfied with the DDOs’ response, they could approach the Divisional Appellate Authority (DAA) headed by the divisional commissioners within 10 days.

Under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Councils (Delimitation) Rules, 2013, if the DAA finds the objections or concerns valid after inquiry, it will order the respective DDO to appropriately modify the lists.

The DDOs after incorporating the modifications ordered by the DAA will provide the final list to the provincial delimitation authority, which is to publish the final list in the official gazette within the next seven days.

The officials said the boundaries of village councils in rural areas and neighbourhood councils in urban areas had been drawn according to the 1998 census.

They said the village and neighbourhood councils had been created without crossing the traditional boundaries of the respective areas.

When contacted, Assistant Director at the LGRD department, Peshawar Faizullah Khan confirmed the display of preliminary lists of village and neighbourhood councils in the district at the offices of the former union councils’ secretaries.

He said the lists were also displayed at the offices of Peshawar’s deputy commissioner, who was also DDO for Peshawar.