LAHORE: The Government policy regarding local bodies came up for severe criticism in the West Pakistan Assembly when the House resu­med discussion over the Greater Lahore Water Supply Sewerage and Drainage Ordinance, 1967 [May 24].

Speaking on one of his amendments, the Leader of the Opposition, Khwaja Mohammad Safdar, said that under the existing set-up the local bodies had been deprived of the powers they enjoyed formerly. According to him, the main authority now lay with the nominated official chairmen and the elected representatives were denied active association with the policy-making decisions. He regretted that big schemes like the Greater Lahore Water Supply and Drainage Project had been taken away from the Corporation and, instead, given over to the Improvement Trust, which essentially was a bureaucratic organisation.

The Improvement Trust, he said, might be having some very able officials but they could not be substitute for elected representatives, who had better knowledge of the people’s problems. He was of the view that the huge amount of Rs 43 crore required to implement the Greater Lahore Project should not have been left at the mercy of one single individual — the Chairman of the Trust.

Replying to the criticism, the Minister for Local Bodies, Mr Mohammad Yasin Wattoo, said the fact was that it was the present regime which had made the common man a partner in the local administration. By setting up Committees and Councils at the lowest level, the Government was now sharing the administration with elected representatives.

He said that Greater Lahore scheme had been given over to the Improvement Trust because it had some experts who would ensure better implementation of the project. Moreover, even in the Trust, there were three representatives of the Corporation, who could give their advice on various matters.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017