Minister asks officials to finalise proposed 'Punjab Local Government Act 2013'

Punjab Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan has directed the relevant authorities of the Department of LG&CD Punjab to finalise the proposed "Punjab Local Government Act 2013" as early as possible so that the PML-N-led provincial government could table this new Act before the Punjab Assembly for its formal approval.
He was addressing a briefing session here on Thursday regarding administrative management and provision of quality municipal services in Punjab at TMAs level, disclosed an official. Rana Sanaullah Khan said PML-N has obtained record number of votes from every nook and corner of Punjab, because the people at large have reposed confidence in the administrative vision of Shahbaz Sharif.
"Also, the people of Pakistan have acknowledged the sincerity and statesmanship of Nawaz Sharif by bringing him to the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the third time, which is a unique record in the history of Pakistan. PML-N will devolve this power of governance to the door step of the people of Pakistan by holding local bodies' election as soon as possible. After finalising the initial draft of Punjab Local Government Act 2013, the government will be enabled to conduct local bodies' election. Every elected councillor of 3464 union councils of Punjab will become equal partner of power and engine of growth in the province of Punjab," he added.
While giving briefing to the minister, Punjab LG&CD Secretary Dawood Muhammad Bareej said the total financial capacity of this provincial department is Rs 47 billion per annum out of which funds amounting Rs 24 billion have been spent on various developmental schemes at districts, towns and tehsils municipal administration while Rs 20 billion is meant for non-development budget of the department.
"The engineering wing of LG&CD has completed 1441 development schemes at the cost of more than Rs 3 billion in 26 districts during the current fiscal year. The utilisation rate is more than 87 percent. The LG&RD department has big source of income from 1 percent ratio of property tax imposed on the transfer of urban immovable property while the levy collected from the cattle markets throughout the province reaches to the tune of Rs 2 billion per annum," he added. The minister was informed that Lahore Walled-city Project has been reinvigorated while the Bahawalpur Development Authority will also be made functional very soon.