RAWALPINDI: Though the local government will be formed by the end of this year, after the December 5 elections, the current administrative system in the districts will continue till the end of the fiscal year 2015-16.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told Dawn that the district departments would be transferred to provincial and local governments and that the salaries of employees working for these departments would be paid by the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) till July 2016.

He said a notification about this would be issued some time after December 5.

Other CDGR officials termed the time between the elections and handing over of power a ‘transit period.’

They said the DCO currently looks after the financial and administrative affairs of the district. After the local government elections, the provincial government will provide the newly-elected people with office space but the administrative affairs will still be run by the DCO till July 2016.

The official added, “The budget for the district has been approved and funds have been released for salaries and administrative expenditures for the current administrative system. That is why the change will be made in the next fiscal budget.”

They said the government had already released funds to the CDGR for development work in the year 2015-16 and that the funds could now not be moved into the accounts of District Council and Municipal Corporation.

To prepare the budget for the District Council and Municipal Corporation in the next fiscal year, the Punjab government has asked the finance department of the CDGR for their employees’ details and the budgets for the last three years.

The officials also said the CDGR was given Rs10.734 billion every year by the provincial government for salaries and other expenditures.

“More than 30,000 government employees work in different departments of the CDGR.”

They said the provincial government had formed a committee for handing over assets to the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation and the District Council. However, the committee has not met yet.

Handing over assets is going to be a long process and would take months. They added that Potohar Town’s office buildings would be handed over in the first phase. The buildings and offices and other assets of Rawal Town will be handed over to the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation later.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2015