Opposition members tore the copies of the agenda
KARACHI: Sindh Assembly on Saturday approved Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill-2021 amid opposition’s ruckus. The amended bill of the new LG system was tabled in the Sindh Assembly by provincial LG minister Nasir Hussain Shah. As the session was marred with sloganeering, the legislators from the government managed to pass the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill-2021. Opposition members tore the copies of the agenda when the house gave clause-by-clause approval to the bill.
According to the provisions of the amendment bill, towns will be set up in 6 divisional headquarters of Sindh including Karachi. The chairmen of towns and municipal committees will be elected through a show of hands. Clause to hold election of chairpersons of local body councils by secret ballot was withdrawn. In the Local Government Amendment Bill, local body councils have been given powers in the affairs of 9 provincial departments and local government councils will also be included in the affairs of Sindh Police. According to the bill, the SSP will be bound to liaise with the concerned local body chairman and police officers will report to the local council on police matters and law and order. Local government representatives will not have the power in prosecution, police administration and criminal cases.
The Government of Sindh has amended ‘secret ballot’ clause in a new draft of the local government law. As per draft of the local council’s law the condition of secret ballot for the Mayor’s election has been amended. The chairman of the local council will now be elected with the ‘show of hand.’ The provincial government has withdrawn secret ballot condition in the new draft of the law. The government, however, has decided to keep the town system unchanged in the local government system of Sindh. Towns system is being reintroduced in the municipal system and different towns will be carved out in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpur Khas and Benazirabad cities.
Moreover, the function of the registration of births and deaths being returned back to the local councils in the law. Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has recently rejected the Sindh Local Government (amendment) bill 2021 and returned it to the Sindh Assembly for re-consideration while raising objections. He pointed out that the elimination of the district municipal corporations (DMCs) and replacing them with the town system would create an administrative void. He had also objected over the secret balloting for the election of mayor, saying it could lead to horse-trading in the process.