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LAHORE: The Punjab government has finalised the proposals for a new local government structure and soon it will be tabled before the Punjab Cabinet for approval.

The ministerial committee made a number of recommendations which will overhaul the existing local government system, disclosed sources to Business Recorder here on Wednesday. The recommendations will be tabled before the Punjab Cabinet in a shape of an amended bill.

The new system will have three tiers: district councils, town and tehsil councils, and neighbourhood and village councils. In the top tier, the committee proposed one Metropolitan Corporation in Lahore and 35 district councils. Moreover, in tier two, it recommended 13 town councils at the divisional headquarter tehsil level and in all tehsils of Lahore district, and 133 tehsil councils. In tier three, the committee proposed to replace all union councils with neighbourhood councils and village councils in both town councils and tehsil councils.

As per the recommendations, the neighbourhoods will consist of one or more urban Census Block Codes and the government will determine the number of neighbourhood councils in the town and tehsil councils, and the Election Commission will delimit the area of neighbourhoods.

Moreover, for the establishment of villages, a “patwar” circle having a population of 5000 or more shall be declared as a village.

“However, if the population of a patwar circle (as per the last available census) is less than 5000, it will be merged with another neighboring patwar circle having the least population among all the neighboring patwar circles so as the combined population of the two becomes more than 5000. If the combined population of the two ‘patwar’ circles remains below 5000, then another neighbouring ‘patwar’ circle with the least population will be added; if required this process will be repeated until the requisite number is met,” said the sources.

According to the sources, the committee also proposed that the election for the neighbourhood and village councils will be direct and on a non-party basis, and each will have six seats of general councillors, a chairman, vice-chairman and councillors on reserved seats. Moreover, for all upper tiers, the elections will be direct and party-based; 30 percent on the basis of a panel (head and councilors on reserved seats) and 70 percent on the basis of closed-list proportional representation (general councilors).

The committee recommended devolving offices, companies, authorities and agencies to the Metropolitan Corporation and the District Councils, which includes district education authorities, district health authorities, parks and horticulture authorities, development authorities, water and sanitation authorities, traffic, engineering and planning authorities, waste management companies and parking companies.

Moreover, under the new system, the Metropolitan Corporation and the district councils will be responsible for master and spatial planning, construction and maintenance of public roads, public transport and mass transit systems, beautification of cities, and naming of roads, streets and bridges.

The tehsil and town councils will be responsible for the regulation of municipal offences and enforcement of municipal laws, provision of all municipal services, land use and building control, cattle markets, parking places, and it will have the power to approve and regulate private housing schemes, public markets, private slaughterhouses, and remove moveable and immoveable encroachments.

Under the new system, the functions of the neighbourhood and village councils will include registration of birth, deaths, marriages and divorce, arranging fairs and recreational activities, promoting local sports and executing development works pertaining to the services rendered by village or neighbourhood councils.

The village councils will have the additional functions of nominating members for panchayats and mobilising the community for the maintenance of public ways, public streets, bridges, public buildings and local drains, and tree plantations. They will provide and maintain public sources of drinking water.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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