GUJRAT: The uncertainty looming with regard to the future of Gujrat as the 10th administrative division of Punjab has cleared after the provincial government notified it as the new division.

Official sources say the fresh notification of the tehsils, districts and divisions of Punjab had been issued by the Board of Revenue (BoR) on Dec 18 the last.

As per the notification, Hafizabad and Wazirabad districts will remain part of Gujrat division despite resistance by some local politicians and the civil society of Hafizabad district.

The sources say efforts were being made by some politicians and officers that both districts should remain a part of the Gujranwala division.

Officials hope the new division will also get due budget, offices

They say the tehsils, districts and the division created by the former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in his second tenure (July 2022-January 2023) have been kept intact in the notification.

Mr Elahi had notified Gujrat as 10th administrative division of Punjab on Aug 17, 2022, while Kunjah and Jalalpur Jattan towns had also been declared as new tehsils after bifurcation of Gujrat tehsil.

Wazirabad tehsil of Gujranwala district had been upgraded as a new district with Wazirabad and Ali Pur Chatha as its tehsils during Mr Elahi’s tenure.

However, the caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi’s government de-notified the Gujrat division on Feb 16, 2023, which was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) by Noman Akbar Warraich, a close aide of PTI leader Moonis Elahi.

The LHC restored Gujrat as division by suspending the notification issued by the Punjab government on Feb 21, 2023.

However, Gujrat division was rendered dysfunctional practically after the provincial government removed its first ever commissioner, regional police officer (RPO) and other administrative officers, handing over the acting charges of the Gujrat commissioner and RPO to Gujranwala officers holding the same positions. The arrangement is still intact.

At least two additional commissioners remained posted in Gujrat division, but they had to work without any budget, while the staff was provided to them by the district administration.

A senior administrative officer told Dawn that after issuance of the fresh notification of at least 156 tehsils, 41 districts and 10 divisions of Punjab, it is being expected that Gujrat division would also be granted the required budget and regular officers.

Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk said he had written to the concerned authorities to hand over the additional charge of assistant commissioners (ACs) of Kunjah and Jalalpur Jattan tehsils to Gujrat AC Bilal Zubair until the appointment of regular incumbents to avoid any legal complications in terms of the court work etc.

Previously, the additional charge of the new tehsils remained with the Gujrat AC during Parvez Elahi’s tenure as CM.

Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Haider Sheerazi has also been appointed administrator of Gujrat Municipal Corporation as per the Punjab government’s policy.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2024