Chief, LG secretaries put on notice on contempt application against non-release of funds to TMCs, UCs

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the chief secretary and local government secretary on a contempt of court application against the non-release of development funds and non-transfer of administrative powers to the elected members of the town municipal corporations (TMCs) and union committees (UCs) despite court orders.

Filing the application before the SHC, Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman submitted that the high court had disposed of a petition with regard to transfers of administrative and financial powers to the local bodies’ representatives and directed the provincial government to ensure release of funds to the TMCs and UCs.

He submitted that officers of the Sindh government were creating hurdles in the working of the elected town representatives by delaying the appointments of town officers and deployment of employees to town administrations.

The applicant said the union committees’ employees had been unable to receive salaries for the last three months, and it had affected the working of the UCs. He submitted that one of the most important functions of the UCs was issuance of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, but these certificates were still being issued by the staff of defunct UCs because the alleged contemnors did not send any instruction to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) regarding legal UCs and the ID of defunct UCs was being used for issuance of such certificates. He submitted that the staff of the water and sewerage corporation and solid waste management board were still deputed as per the defunct local government system and not transferred to the TMCs and UCs.

The applicant submitted that the UCs were totally dysfunctional and unable to perform their duties as per the Constitution of Pakistan and local bodies laws due to alleged violations of the court orders by the alleged contemnors.

He said that despite clear directions of the court, the alleged contemnors and their subordinate staff were not complying with the court orders and continuously violating them.

The SHC was requested to direct the alleged contemnors to comply with the directions of the court and initiate contempt of court proceedings for disobeying the court directives.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry after the preliminary hearing of the application issued notices to the alleged contemnors and directed them to file comments on the next hearing.

The SHC had on November 6 directed the Sindh government that there be no delay or obstruction in transferring the authority and powers to the elected members of the local government as well as release of funds to the TMCs and UCs.