Consult us before making changes to system, LG representatives tell govt

PESHAWAR: The Local Councils Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (LCA-KP) on Tuesday demanded the government to implement Article 140-A of the Constitution for the better performance of the local government system in the country.

The Association at a meeting declared the Local Government Act 2001 a better option for improving local governance.

The LCA-KP President Himayatullah Mayar chaired the meeting which was held at the residence of Peshawar District Naib Nazim Syed Qasim Ali Shah.

The executive committee members, including District Nazim Malakand Ahmad Ali Shah, District Naib Nazim Peshawar Syed Qasim Ali Shah, District Nazim Upper Dir Fasihullah Khan, Information Secretary Ali Haider, Shahi Dauran, Tehsil Nazim Hangu Amir Ghani and general secretary of the LCA KP Asif Ali Jan attended the meeting.

The association’s information secretary Ali Haider told The News that the association meeting was convened in the wake of media reports that the government was planning introducing changes to the Local Government Act.

He said the committee members asked the government to take LCA on board before taking any steps for bringing changes or making amendments to the Local Government Act 2013.

Ali Haider said the LCA-KP was the representative body of 44,000 councillors in the province. “The government must respect our mandate and involve us in the consultative process for any revision of the Local Government Act, 2013,” he added.

The meeting through a unanimous resolution asked the government to implement the Local Government Act 2001 after bringing some necessary amendments in the law as it was closer to Article 140-A than the 2013 law, he added.

He said the executive committee would send its recommendation to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

The meeting discussed various issues facing the local government system in the province including the honoraria of district, tehsil and village and neighbourhood council members.

“The LCA also proposed an increase in the numbers of union councils according to their population instead of establishing village and neighbourhood councils,” he said.

Ali Haider said the step would drastically reduce the strength of the councillors to approximately 17,000 or 18, 000 and would decrease the huge cost on the national exchequer.

He said the LCA expressed concern over the non-availability of annual development funds for various schemes in the province, adding that 50 percent of ADP of 2017-18 budget was still pending with the government which had affected the performance of the district government.

The executive committee suggested reforms in the present local government system by bringing amendments to the LG Act 2013 and to abolish the rules of business and guidelines to smooth running of the local admiration.