KARACHI: While highlighting the missing role of local councils, Sindh’s lawmakers on Saturday suggested that provincial governments support local councils to develop a pandemic response plan.

They said that the role of local government representatives at the grassroots level is crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic. In an online meeting on the ‘Institutional role in context of the Covid-19 pandemic’ arranged by the HANDS, an NGO, the legislators of Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional with civil society activists exchanged their opinions over the prevailing situation across the province.

Discussing the water sanitation and hygiene condition in the context of the pandemic, the participants said that the role of all the relevant departments was pivotal in containing the spread of the pathogen, reducing the overall burden over the health facilities.

They specifically discussed the role of local government departments and the Local Government Act-2013, which has clearly defined the compulsory function of local councils. They said that corporations, municipal committees or town committees should adopt such measures to prevent infectious diseases and restrain infections from entering the local areas as per the rules and bylaws provided therein.

The parliamentarians suggested that all provincial governments should support local councils to develop their pandemic response plans. Local elected representatives and available resources of local councils could be mobilised to ensure the compliance of standard operating procedures developed by the provincial governments for preventive measures against the Covid-19.

The lawmakers from treasury and opposition also asked the national and international civil society organisations and donors to invest in sustainable interventions related to the Covid-19 preventive measures, particularly at the grassroots level.

The meeting was attended by Shamim Mumtaz of the PPP, Nusrat Sahar Abbasi of the PML-F, Rabia Khatoon of the MQM-P, Sidra Imran of the PTI, Rabia Azfar of the PTI, Sadia Javed of the PPP, Qasim Soomro of the PPP, Tanzila Qambrani of the PPP and representatives from civil society, including Dr Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, Ghulam Mustafa Zaor, Nadeem Wagan, Maqbool Ahmed Rahu and Sadaf Gul from HANDS.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2020