GILGIT, Jan 12: The Gilgit Citizens' Action Committee has called on the Northern Areas administration to upgrade the existing Gilgit municipal committee status to a municipal corporation along with a renewed budgetary allocations.

The demand has been made, beside other factors, in view of the growing population of the regional capital. In a press briefing on Sunday, the committee representatives said they were opposed to the illegal allotments of crown lands to undeserving people as, they argued, only the pioneers (settlers since 1948) had the right to crown lands.

They further demanded of the administration to cancel the illegal domiciles that had been issued to non-local people. The committee added that the NAPWD had unjustly increased the power tariff without ensuring regular supply as the department had been charging power supply at commercial rates.

Expressing its concern over the increasing joblessness among the educated youth, the committee asked the government to creating job avenues in the region which they termed a grave source of frustration and anxiety among the youth.

The committee also demanded revision of and increase in the compensation rates recently paid to the people whose lands were used while widening the city roads. Committee President Ilyas Siddique and Sher Ahmad briefed the press.