MUZAFFARABAD: Three members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on Monday vowed to address the problems of Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad, mainly the shortage of equipment and workforce.

Minister for local government and rural development (LG&RD) Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, minister for planning and development (P&D) Chaudhry Mohammad Rashid and minister for finance and inland revenue Abdul Majid Khan made this commitment in front of a large number of civil society activists after inaugurating the ‘clean Muzaffarabad’ campaign at the civic body’s office.

Earlier, chief officer Anjum Bilal disclosed to the stupefaction of many in the audience that there were only 110 sanitation workers for the sprawling AJK capital in addition to some literally rundown vehicles engaged for transportation and subsequent dumping of garbage on the outskirts of the city.

The LG&RD minister, who has returned from Muzaffarabad city, announced that he would set aside Rs3.5 million from his share of development funds for the purchase of the required three-wheelers with a hope that his colleagues would also make contributions in this regard from their allocations.

Mr Ahmed maintained that being the seat of the government, Muzaffarabad city was AJK’s face and its cleanliness and development would leave a good impression on the whole of the liberated territory.

Echoing his views, the P&D minister said he would soon invite all stakeholders to do planning to meet the needs of the capital.

He said: “We owe too much to this city where most of us from other areas of the state have raised humble abodes.” The finance minister advised the LG&RD minister to fire all those employees in the Local Government Board who the previous government had “appointed in sheer violation of merit” in spite of the hue and cry raised by the civil society.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2021