LAHORE: Provincial Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq has said women, minorities, peasants, workers and youth will be given representation at all levels and the amendments to the Local Government Act will empower the local governments so that the problems of the masses can be solved at the local level.

The provincial minister said this while addressing a meeting at Civil Secretariat on Tuesday.

The meeting was convened to give further consideration to the draft of Punjab Local Govt Amendment Act. LG Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian and Special Secretary Asia Gul participated in the meeting in which LG Additional Secretary Arshad Baig gave a briefing on the proposed LG Act.

During the meeting, the scope of Metropolitan Corporation, Town Corporation and Municipal Committee was also discussed.

Addressing the meeting, the provincial minister said that in the proposed draft law, a city with a population of more than seven lakh has been proposed to be declared a big city. “The tehsil will be given the status of a unit in the new system. Therefore, for the first time in every tehsil, it has been proposed to the Punjab government to establish a tehsil council”, he figured out.

He said that the actual number of union councils will be determined after the demarcation process in the light of the recent census.

He said that Punjab CM wanted a stable and lasting local government system in the province. “Under her instructions, detailed work is being done on the new draft law”, he added.

Zeeshan Rafiq further pointed out that the goals of development cannot be achieved without fulfilling the expectations of the people.

“After the new census, there should be a change in the structure of local governments, so with the increase in population, it is necessary to expand the scope of LG bodies”, he stressed. He said that after the approval of Chief Minister, the draft will be sent to the provincial cabinet for further proceeding.

Source: The News