Chairman, National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Daniyal Aziz has called for restructuring of provincial governments to resolve 70 percent to 80 percent civic problems effectively being faced by the people.
This he said on Thursday as a chief guest of the concluding session at the "National conference on cities and urban issues in Pakistan, Cities: The Engine of Growth" was organised by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in collaboration with National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) at a local hotel.
He held the apathetic attitude of provincial governments responsible for the unresolved civic problems prevailing in the major cities of the country. He said that restructuring of the provincial governments was important in view to bring it in realm of legislation to monitor and observe the difficulties being faced by the citizens and take initiative toward their resolutions.
"Provincial governments are sleeping as it has to issue transfers and postings letters against only Rs 100 bribe than how come it will play its due role to improve the situation," he commented.
Provincial governments will be restructured by assigning new jobs to get them out of their non-performances for the establishment of better governance system, he maintained. Daniyal criticised the administration behind the rising civic problems, which hindered the performances of the local governments.
Expressing apprehension, he said that the former local body system was dreadful and any attempt toward its implementation would bring about the devastation of all systems in the country, while the new local body ordinance 2001 (LGO) had closed all doors for corruption.
Dispelling the impression Daniyal said that corruption had already been existing in the governance system and had not thrived with the promulgation of LGO 2001. "Unfortunately, we have also undergone the tenure of Nawaz Sharif government when each MPA was allotted two plots in the model town Lahore and no accountability existed to question them of their jobs," he alleged.
He said Public Accounts Committee have been set up against the corruption taking place in the local body system while the divisional tier in the local government system had been dissolved.
Regarding overlapping of execution matters by the provincial governments, he said that several amendments in the LGO 2001 had been done to avoid such intermingling of affairs between provincial and city governments.
Earlier, City Nazim Quetta, Mir Muqbool Lehri stressed upon the government to continue the local body system in the greater interest of people, however, demanded for more resource allocation for carrying out development projects smoothly.
Taking serious note of allegation over Nazims, he strongly replied that it was sad and unjust phenomenon to hold only Nazims responsible for corruption and other irregularities while the rest of the concerned authorities had been spared from the accountability.
He remarked that corruption could not be eradicated, saying that the only way to bring prosperity and development was to improve and continue the existing local body system.
Lehri said Gawadar project was not successful, as investors were reluctant to come for investments while those put their wealth in projects had been in serious unresolved crisis, while indigenous were holding protests on a daily basis there.
He demanded of his ruling party to play its due role to resolve problems of investors and public to carry out development schemes in Gawadar and make it a successful plan.
He also complained about the small chunk of funds given for development projects, and said it was insufficient and against the realities, which should be increased to the scale of development needs in Quetta.
City Nazim Peshawar, Haji Ghulam Ali said that MNAs and MPAs should indulge in legislation and avoid meddling in Nazims affairs. He pointed out that several development projects, which he had to initiate to have been done by Amir Imam who he called an irrelevant to the affairs. He also demanded of the government to strengthen the devolution plan and termed it only way to develop cities in line with needs.
Ghulam Ali suggested that NRB should set up a monitoring team to check the affairs of Nazims to avoid corruption and presented his city Peshawar as first city to be seen by the NRB monitoring team. He called for close and supportive co-ordination amongst all civic agencies for carrying out development project so as to save resources from wasting.