KARACHI, Jan 6: Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar has said that the provincial cabinet will be expanded soon with mutual consensus of coalition partners.

Talking to newsmen after the inaugural session of a six-day orientation programme for Zila Nazimeen and District Coordination Officers (DCOs) here on Monday, the CM held out the assurance that the coalition partners would serve the people of the country without any discrimination.

“All those living in Sindh are Sindhis and have equal rights,” he declared, adding, “all are our brothers and everyone in my cabinet wants to serve the people of the province.”

Mr Mahar unequivocally stated that there was no dispute among the coalition partners.

Regarding financial support to the provincial government, the CM said that his government would approach the Centre and that all the problems confronted by the people of Sindh would be solved with the passage of time.

Earlier, addressing the elected representatives at the programme at the National Institute of Public Administration, the chief minister acknowledged people were facing a lot of problems like prices-hike, unemployment, lack of basic facilities, etc. and that they needed to be solved urgently.

He urged the elected representatives to pay due attention to these problems and do their utmost for their solution.

Mr Mahar indicated that elected representatives have now assumed their responsibilities at federal, provincial and district governments level. He stressed the need for joint efforts under their respective leadership in a more effective and coordinated manner to provide relief to the people.

He urge them to deliver the goods as their electorates had pinned great hopes in them.

Though the local government system had been evolved and introduced by the National Reconstruction Bureau, he said, it was a provincial subject and responsibility. “We all share the responsibility to ensure success of this system which is aimed at devolution of power at grassroots level,” he observed.

The CM remarked that the Nazimeen, DCOs, other elected representatives and the officials working under them were wheels of a vehicle. He said success of the LG system depended on those manning the vehicle for which harmonious relationship among them was essential.

In his speech, the provincial Minister for Local Government, Muhammad Hussain, said that as many as 22,974 councillors of 1,094 union councils had been imparted training from March to July 2001 and apprised of rules and regulations, rules of procedure and other necessary laws to run the LG affairs.

He pointed out that the second phase of training, for the District Nazimeen and DCOs, began today whereas the training for the Nazimeen and Naib Nazimeen of towns and talukas would start from Jan 13 and conclude on March 29. He said training workshops for the councillors of towns and talukas would also be organized.

The minister informed the participants that amendments to certain LG laws had already been made whereas more amendments were under consideration to make the laws more effective.

He revealed that a committee, headed by the secretary law, had been constituted to go through all these laws and suggest amendments if there were any lacunas and discrepancy.

About the formation of Public Safety Commissions, to monitor conduct of police, at district level, he said that for 16 districts, the body had already been constituted while for the rest, process was under way. He said that the setting up of such commissions at provincial level was also under consideration.

Furthermore, he added, the district governments had been asked to constitute citizen and community boards, reconciliation committees and rural councils.

Daniyal Aziz, Chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau, also spoke on the occasion.—APP/PPI