THE NEWS, 11-11-2011

The Sindh government finally put an end to the confusion surrounding the local government system on Thursday as it ordered the freezing of the accounts/funds of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and all other district governments following the formal revival of the General Zia-era local government and commissionerate system.
The CDGK has been dissolved with immediate affect and Karachi divided into five districts and Sindh into five divisions. However, the existing position of the Hyderabad district remains unchanged.
The provincial government’s actions came after a gap of six days following the end of the Musharraf-era local government system, which ended at midnight on Friday when an ordinance promulgated by the governor lapsed. Both coalition parties, the PPP and the MQM, had failed to agree on the LG system during the 90-day period of the ordinance.
Four departments — local government, board of revenue, services and general administration and finance — issued over a dozen notifications on Thursday on the very first day after the Eid holidays.
A notification issued by the Finance Department on Thursday said that the provincial government had decided to freeze the CDGK’s funds/accounts maintained in the State Bank of Pakistan and branches of the National Bank of Pakistan under Account-IV as well as all accounts in other commercial banks with immediate effect. It said that the accounts/funds of the CDGK, district governments, town/Taluka municipal administrations and union administrations had been frozen. The government asked the SBP and the NBP to stop payments against the said accounts with immediate effect.
An official of the Finance Department told The News that the local government’s account (Account-IV) had been terminated and now the provincial government would utilise the funds for uplift projects.
A notification issued by the secretary local government said that following the restoration of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 1979, the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), district governments and town/Taluka municipal administrators and union administrations ceased to exist forthwith. It said that as a consequence of the repeal of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Sukkur Municipal Corporation, Larkana Municipal Corporation, district municipal corporations, district councils, municipal committees, town committees and union councils, along with their respective functions, had been restored with immediate effect.
According to the notification issued by the Board of Revenue, Sindh has been divided into five divisions — Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana – and Karachi has been divided into five districts — South, East, West, Central and Malir.
However, the notification said that Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammed Khan and Matiari districts, created out of the single district of Hyderabad during the tenure of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, would continue to function.
Meanwhile, the Services and General Administration issued around 10 notifications appointing DCOs as commissioners of the five divisions and five revenue officials of the defunct CDGK as DCs (deputy commissioners) of the revived districts of Karachi. Similarly, erstwhile DCOs of 18 districts will act as collectors/DCs for their respective districts. The DCs will work as revenue collectors as they do not have magisterial powers.
The erstwhile administrator of the CDGK will work as administrator of the revived KMC and the collectors/DCs of Karachi East, West, South, Central and Malir will take charge as administrators of the respective district municipal corporations (DMCs) in addition to their own duties.
The commissioners of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas divisions will take positions as administrators of their respective municipal corporations. The collectors/DCs of the districts will hold the charge of municipal committees falling in their respective districts, in addition to their own duties.
The executive district officers (EDOs) (Revenue) of Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas will act as collectors/DCs of their respective districts.
The EDOs (Revenue) will work as additional deputy commissioners-I, while district officers (revenue) will function as additional deputy commissioners-II. The deputy district officers (Revenue) of Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana divisions will act as assistant commissioners.