NEW SYSTEM TO EMPOWER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, SEMINAR ADDRESSED AT ALHAMRA

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION MUST FOR SUCCESSFUL LOCAL BODIES SYSTEM-A.ALEEM KHAN

NEW SYSTEM TO EMPOWER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, SEMINAR ADDRESSED AT ALHAMRA

LAHORE, JAN. 12: Senior Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan has said that participation of the citizens in the local bodies is must for its success. He added that no system is good or bad it depends on the implementation on it and in Punjab best policies would be introduced in the new local bodies set up which would bring a revolution in Punjab. He expressed these views while addressing a seminar held at Alhamra organized by MPA, writer &  activities Ms. Jugnoo Mohsin regarding local bodies and community participation. Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that new set up of village and neighborhood councils is being introduced where every council will be comprising upon 6-7 members while at union council and tehsil set up direct elections will take place on party basis whereas in villages panchaiyat system will be established on non party basis. Similarly, for mayor and nazims people would vote directly on party basis. Abdul Aleem Khan said that one village one council concept would provide platform to start development in all the 22000 villages of Punjab at the same time which would bring new look for Punjab Province. He pointed out that 30 per cent funds of annual development fund of Punjab will be directly transferred to these local bodies’ institutions and every elected council would be free to launch its developmental project. Abdul Aleem Khan claimed that detailed deliberations have been made on the recommendations for local bodies and now this bill is in final stage. He assured that all the draw backs and shortcomings have been reconsidered and concrete steps being taken for introducing such a solid system which can solve the people’s problems at local level. Abdul Aleem Khan said that the past government did not bothered to empower and made functional the local bodies institutions and that is the reason that elected representatives feel themselves insecure and useless in the existing system.

In the seminar, MPA Jugnoo Mohsin said that MNA’s/MPA’s should not be given developmental funds and deskwork should be done by local body’s representatives. Senator Musadaq Malik and other speakers stressed the need to come out of the experimental stage and introduce comprehensive local bodies system so that long standing issues of the masses could be resolved. They also gave a number of suggestions for the new system being introduced in Punjab and said that proposals from grass root level have great importance in this regard. 

With the compliments of the No.125 /Gohar/ Ahsan

Directorate General of Public Relations

Govt. of the Punjab, Lahore. Ph 042 99201390

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