CONSULTATION COMPLETED ON LB, 3 MODELS READY FOR PM APPROVAL

POWERS BETWEEN REP. & ADMIN. BE CLEARLY DEFINED: A. ALEEM KHAN

RAJA BASHARAT & OTHER PROVINCIAL MINISTERS PARTICIPATED

Consultation in the high level committee set up to consider the New Local Government System of Punjab has been completed and three different models have been prepared on which final approval will be given by Prime Minister Imran Khan. A high level meeting chaired by Senior Punjab Minister Abdul Aleem Khan in the Chief Minister's House considered various aspects of the Punjab Local Government Act 2019 and recommended to make appropriate changes in the existing Local Bodies System. Various recommendations were approved to ensure devolution of powers and resolution of problems at the local level which could ensure rapid development as well. Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that the purpose of this follow-up meeting of the committee was to remove ambiguities in the Punjab Local Government Act 2019 for which detailed deliberations have been under taken. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to bring a dynamic Local Body System in Punjab and his vision was that the people should face minimum difficulties to solve their problems for which the Local Government System is of utmost importance. Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that the Municipal Corporations, Town Committees and Metropolitan Institutions would be redefined in terms of population in different cities of Punjab and the powers of elected representatives and administration would also be clarified in the New Local Body System of Punjab.

The high level meeting was also attended by Punjab Law Minister Raja Muhammad Basharat and Provincial Ministers Mian Mahmood Ur Rasheed, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Sibteen Khan, Mian Khalid Mahmood and Chaudhry Akhlaq Hussain who expressed their views on the Punjab Local Government Act 2019. Secretary Local Government and Senior Officers of the Department presented different recommendations on the new system and highlighted the proposed Local Government plan for various cities in the province.