RAWALPINDI, Dec 31: Complaints against the Tehsil municipal administration, especially the Tehsil municipal officer, marred the proceedings of the Rawalpindi Tehsil assembly on Monday forcing the speaker to prorogue the session for Jan 15.
Speaker Sajjad Khan prorogued the session after the members refused to approve the agenda. They were demanding answers to written questions asked by them during the three previous sessions.
As soon as the session started, the members raised complaints against Col Najamul Hassan Malik, the tehsil municipal officer (TMO), for his failure to give satisfactory answers to the oral questions raised by the members during three previous sessions.
“Why is it necessary to hold this session when the TMO has no answer to any question?” lady councillor Robina Tehseen asked.
The members complained that the questions asked by them were printed but without answers.
“I am concerned over the excessive use of paper the TMA has wasted on printing our questions with no answers,” councillor Ms Tahira Shaukat said. “We had asked for answers, not for printing of our questions.”
The speaker directed the TMO to ensure reply of the questions within a week. He also directed that instead of the TMO, the tehsil officers (TOs) of the respective departments should answer these questions at the next session.
The House also passed a resolution, moved by a number of members, regarding honoraria for the councillors. They termed it injustice that only the Nazims and deputy Nazims of district, Tehsil and union councils were entitled for honoraria and other allowances as approved by the Punjab Local Government and Rural Development whereas the councillors have been excluded from such package. Member after member raised this point and demanded that the government be approached for this purpose.
The speaker told them that the resolution had already been passed with unanimity and would be sent to the Punjab government.
Minority lady councillor Nadia Javed from union council 84 drew the attention of the House towards the failure of the TMO in ensuring payment of salaries to the Christian sanitation staff before Christmas. “We could not celebrate our annual festival in a proper way,” she said and demanded that next time the salaries should be paid a week before Christmas.
The members also complained against the officials of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and said that neither clean drinking water was being supplied properly nor the drainage system functioning satisfactorily.
The speaker directed the TMO to call the Wasa officials to the next session of the assembly to answer these charges. The TMO, however, said he had informed the Wasa officials concerned to come to the session but they did not turn up. The managing director would be informed about this, he added.
Naib Nazim union council 7, Malik Abbasi, informed the House that the Rawalpindi Development Authority was planning to auction some plots near Committee Chowk. He said the RDA should be stopped from selling the land as it would reduce the Sunday Bazaar area.
The speaker told him to submit a written application to the assembly secretary.
Many members also complained that their powers remained undefined and they have not been provided offices and secretaries.
Another member, Masood Shah complained that illegal tax was being received from transporters on Kurri Road and despite informing the TMA no steps had been taken to stop it.
The TMO, in response, said the tax on Kurri Road had been declared illegal by the District Nazim, the district coordination officer and the Tehsil Nazim. He, however, had no answer when asked why had he failed to stop its collection.