Challenges before nazims

AFTER the experience of first four years of bad governance of district government by the obscurant and inept young leadership under the public representative devolution plan, the people have high expectation from new elected leadership of district and tehsil levels. There is a difficult task before the newly-elected district nazim and tehsil nazims of Dera as every department under the district government and the tehsil administration needed to be activated and streamlined.

The provision of safe drinking water despite a filtration plant, complete overhauling-cum-reconstruction of the sewerage system and establishment of a modern system for disposing solid waste, and a ban on commercializing the residential area are urgent requirement and demands of the city dwellers.

According to the original map and design of the city, parks should be established at vacant places at almost all corners of every chowk to save space from land mafia who wants to construct markets at every vacant place in the city. Parks and fountains should also be restored to give fresh air and look to the city. The beautiful Pazeecha-i-Itfal or children’s park was dumped with filth and garbage when the present district nazim was minister of irrigation. It was one and the only park for the children. Now women and children of the area have no particular park in the city.

The restoration of Manika canal is a long-awaited demand. The brackish sub-soil water of the city will become usable with the restoration of Manika canal which crosses the city from eastern side.

There is a need to construct a flyover or an overhead bridge near old ‘Pul Daat’ at the Manika canal to provide uninterrupted flow of inter-provincial traffic. In rural areas, there is a need of metalled roads to link the villages with the market properly.

There is a great problem of the provision of pure and safe drinking water and the sewerage system. Now there is an opportunity for district and tehsil nazims to provide basic facilities to the dwellers. The law and order situation has been badly deteriorated during the last four years. The district nazim is responsible for maintaining the law and order situation and protection of the people according to the design of the devolution plan. But the former nazim did not exercise his power properly and could not develop harmonious relations with the district police officer and the district coordination officer. The kidnapping for ransom, motorcycle and mobile phone-snatching in and around the city, burglary and cattle theft continued to rise. After sunset nobody can go outside the city as there is a great threat of highwaymen.

There are many irregularities in the matter of citizen community boards (CCBs). The EDO allegedly has violated the set criteria for the projects of CCBs to please the cronies of former district and tehsil nazims. The matter needs attention of the district nazim. The finance and planning department, which is the backbone of the district government, has the main role in budget making and release of funds. The tribal area tehsil requires roads, electricity, education and health facilities. These goals could not be achieved during the last four years.

The tehsil nazim has been elected for the second time. He should have a vision to build infrastructure in the tribal area to bring out the people from an old decadent tribal society. The development of hill station Fort Munro in the perspective of tourism can only generate resources for the development of the whole tribal area. The people of Taunsa Sharif are also facing a problem in the provision of safe drinking water and health facilities. The proper development work could not be carried out because of a row between the tehsil nazim and the local MNA in the last four years. The newly-elected nazim has a support of MNA Khwaja Sheraz. Therefore, there is a hope that he will act upon the aspiration of the people of the area.