Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation

The Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) has been directed to utilise at least 80pc of funds allocated for municipal services.

The directive has been issued by Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood while chairing a meeting to review development works.

RMC Chief Municipal Officer Ali Abbas Bukhari and other officials concerned were present in the meeting.

The commissioner directed the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation to complete the schemes under Punjab municipal services program within the time period.
He said three districts of Rawalpindi division including Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal were among the top ten districts in the province in terms of utilisation of allocated funds.

He said the performance of the RMC had also improved in this regard and more than 77pc of the funds have been utilized and the target of utilization of 80pc of the funds will be achieved soon.

The commissioner said the municipal services programme includes repair of faulty water supply and sewerage pipes, repair of streetlights, sewerage and solid waste related equipment and missionary schemes.

He said Attock district had utilised 100pc and Jhelum district 80pc of the allocated funds.

Rawalpindi declared as a metropolitan city

The provincial government has declared Rawalpindi as a metropolitan city and changed the status of Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to the metropolitan corporation.

The district council stands suspended and property tax is expanded to 24 union councils which were rural areas in the past.

After delimitation for local government elections under Local Government Act 2019, the number of union councils increased from 46 to 70 while 24 rural areas have been converted into urban areas.

Under the new law, Rawalpindi having population of more than 1.5 million will be declared a metropolitan city.
The new union councils added to the city are: Sharial-1, Sharial-2, Sharial-3, Khanna Daak-1, Khanna Daak-2, Gangal, Chaklala, Rehmtabad, Kotha Kallan-1, Kotha Kallan-2, Morgah, Kalial, Adiala, Dhaman Syedan, Dhamial, Mohri Ghazzan, Lakkhan, Chak Jalal Din-I, Chak Jalal Din-2, Girja, Banjial and Ranial.
When contacted, the commissioner said the status of RMC had been changed after which the government would be able to develop all rural areas. He said development funds would be spent equally in all the union councils.

The government has also started work to bring all civic bodies under one logo to remove lack of coordination among them.

RMC, District Council dissolved

The Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and the District Council have been dissolved and the divisional commissioner has taken charge as administrator following the promulgation of the Punjab Local Government Act 2019, which repealed the Punjab Local Government Act 2013.

The Punjab Assembly passed the act last week, but it did not become law until Saturday when it was signed by Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar. According to a notification, the law has been implemented from May 4.

Divisional Commissioner Joudat Ayaz took charge on Sunday as administrator, replacing former mayor Sardar Naseem.
Former mayor Sardar Naseem Khan has called the promulgation of the 2019 act a night-time attack.

“The PTI-led government issued the notification late at night, and it is a night attack on the people’s mandate,” he said.

He said he, along with mayors of other cities, have challenged the 2019 act in the Lahore High Court's principal seat and the court has sought comments from the Punjab government on May 9, but the government is hurrying to replace local government members because more than 58,000 of them belong to the PML-N.