ISLAMABAD, July 6: Announcing to celebrate 2003 as year of union councils, the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) chairman, Daniyal Aziz, Saturday said the union councils were being conferred an enhanced role for better policing at the lowest level.

“The government has allocated an additional Rs770,000 for each police station that would be released after recommendation by the union councils,” he said while speaking at a press conference.

Mr Aziz said there were 1,270 police stations across the country and the government had released Rs10 billion for these police stations. Each union council will be authorised to have equal share from the allocated Rs770,000 that will be deposited in the local fund, he added.

“On recommendation and after the expression of confidence in police functioning by the union councils falling in the premises of each police stations, this money would be provided to police station.

“These union councils will adopt a resolution every month regarding public safety in their respective areas and the district accounts officers in pursuance of resolution adopted, would disburse funds to the police station,” Mr Aziz said.

He said involving the union councils in police functioning was aimed at resolving masses problems at grass-root level and make the links between union councils, public safety commissions and police more effective.

He said the union councils would also monitor working of police and help them out of their financial problems.

“It is our firm resolve to ensure that there is no loophole in the functioning of local government system and policing at local level is fully exploited to provide people speedy and inexpensive justice to people,” Mr Aziz said.—APP