BIZTEK SEMINAR URGES REVOLUTION OF POWERS TO PROVINCES & LOCAL BODIES IN THE REAL SENSE

Karachi 18, August: Local Bodies election are on the anvil and the coalition partners are busy drafting a consensus document to serve as the basis said Senator (R) Taj Haider speaking in the seminar held in Biztek (Institute of Business & Technology) University today.

He dwelt at length on the Local Govt. Ordinance 2001 and concluded that it 7ran counter to 1973 Constitution. It didn’t devolve provincial autonomy to the provinces while it made District Governments run against the Provincial authority. Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan demanded the announcement of the election program for the Local Bodies election along with the devolution of the autonomy to the Provinces.

Mr. Said Ghani, leader of the opposition in the City Council said that Karachi had a different pattern of Local Bodies in that the five districts of Karachi were merged into one District Government and rural Karachi’s interests were forsaken. He said that power should have devolved in the Union Council’s level.

Mr. Muqtada Mansoor in his paper traced the development of the Local Bodies, said that the Local Bodies Ordinance 2001 could be improved by effective monitoring of the development of the urban and rural areas of Karachi. He said that there were some positive features of Local Bodies Ordinance and some notable development had been possible.

Col (R) Tahir Hussain, Rector of the University, presented mementos among the participants.

Earlier Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, Dean of the Faculty of Management & Social Sciences welcomed the participants & the audience.