LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar on Saturday signed the Punjab Local Government Bill 2019.
The new municipal system has two categories: the municipal and mohalla councils in urban areas and tehsil and village councils in rural areas.
Sarwar, in a statement, said that under the new local bodies system, the transfer of power had been ensured to the grassroots level.
Additionally, he said that public representatives will be “truly empowered” in the new local bodies system.
“We are strengthening the people as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” said Sarwar, adding that at the public level, making durable service delivery possible was the most important component of PTI’s charter.
The Punjab Assembly on April 30 passed the new Punjab Local Government Bill 2019 within one hour with a majority vote of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members after Law Minister Raja Basharat and Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi knocked out the opposition on technical grounds, bringing an end to the existing local councils dominated by the PML-N. The bill was introduced in the house only eight days prior.
A local government commission will be made, for a four year period, within six months of the bill being imposed. The commission will consist of nine members including the chairperson.
The chairperson will be the municipal minister, while four members will be elected from the Punjab Assembly, two will be appointed by the provincial leader of the house and two will be appointed by the provincial leader of the opposition. The municipal secretary will be the secretary of the commission. There is also room to include four experts in the commission.
The government will be able to take action in case of a complaint against any member of the commission and every year the commission will submit a performance report on municipal departments.
The commission will take all decisions on the basis of the majority and a separate budget will be allocated within the annual budget for the commission.
