ANP urges govt to empower LG representatives before upcoming elections

The Awami National Party (ANP) has called for legislation to empower the local government system in order to resolve the civic issues of the residents. The ANP made this demand on Sunday as it held a meeting in which the party’s provincial council members were asked to start preparation for the upcoming local government polls.

The ANP Sindh chapter organised the meeting of the party's provincial councillors at the Baacha Khan Markaz, the party’s provincial headquarters, in Pirabad area, to discuss the current political situation in the country, and particularly in Karachi.

ANP Sindh president Shahi Syed, who headed the meeting, said the federal, the provincial and the city governments had badly failed to resolve the civic issues of the metropolis. He said a strong local government could resolve civic issues at the neighbourhood level through empowered local government representatives elected from the areas.

“But unfortunately, the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 is not empowering them to resolve the issues,” he said. Syed said the ANP demanded of the government to amend the local government act before the upcoming local government polls to empower the people at the grassroots level.

He asked the members of the party’s provincial council to begin preparations for the upcoming local government polls. He said the ANP demanded of the government to first provide alternative places to people whose residences were demolished in the anti-encroachment campaign being carried out on the order of the apex court.

“The ANP demands of the government to provide alternative accommodation before the demolition of their houses,” Syed said. Expressing his sorrow over the deaths of several people in Keamari last month, Syed demanded of the government to take strict actions against the culprits responsible for it. Younas Bunariee, the ANP’s Sindh secretary-general, and other leaders also spoke on the occasion.