With the compliments of the
Directorate General Public Relations,
Government of the Punjab, Lahore.Ph: 99201390
Directorate General Public Relations,
Government of the Punjab, Lahore.Ph: 99201390
No:900/Majid/Rana
HANDOUT (A)
LAHORE, May 31:
Punjab
Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif presided over a meeting of the
provincial cabinet here today which gave approval to the draft law of Punjab
Local Government Act 2012. The meeting also granted approval to the setting up
of building control authorities at the divisional level to check the incidents
resulting from dangerous and dilapidated buildings. The offices of these
authorities will also be set up at district and tehsil levels. The meeting decided
that the youth will be given full representation in the new local government
system. The performance report of Punjab Public Service Commission for the year
2010-11 and the annual report of Punjab Pension Fund were also discussed in the
meeting.
Addressing
the cabinet, the Chief Minister said that local bodies institutions are
considered as nurseries of democracy the world over which nourish democratic
leadership and thereby strengthen democratic traditions through public representatives
at the basic level. He said that Punjab government will introduce such a local
government system as will be in line with the demands of the modern age as well
as aspirations of the masses for the promotion of democratic process. He said
that in order to give effective representation to the young generation in
decision-making process, five percent quota will be allocated for the youth
while 33 percent seats will be reserved for women under the new local
government system. Similarly, he said, special seats will be reserved for
minorities and farmers as well as workers in local bodies institutions for
giving due representation to all segments of the society. The Chief Minister
expressed the hope that the new local government setup will provide an opportunity
to the youth to display their talent and abilities under the democratic system.
He said that Punjab will be the first province to have special quota for the
youth in local bodies. He said that transparency, merit and good governance are
the priorities of Punjab government and an effective system of accountability
will also be adopted for the new local bodies system for ensuring transparent
utilization of every penny of public money. He said that the tenure of four
years has been proposed for local bodies institutions under the new local
bodies system while the provincial government will have the right of special
audit of these institutions.
Referring
to the building control in the province, the Chief Minister directed that a
unified system should be evolved to eliminate overlapping in the powers of
development authorities and town municipal administration in this regard. He
said that development authorities will be responsible for building control in
their notified areas. Punjab government has sent the draft of Punjab Building
Control & Housing Authority Bill to law department for scrutiny. He said
that commissioners will be the chairmen of these authorities at the divisional
level while the Chief Executive Officer of the authority will act as its
secretary/ member. Sub-offices of these authorities will also be established at
the district and tehsil levels. He said that development authorities will be
responsible for dealing with the matters relating to building control, management
of housing schemes, implementation of relevant laws and other issues. He said
that establishment of the authorities is necessary to check the tragic
incidents like Kharak. He said that the process of inspection of industrial
institutions should be outsourced and immediate replacement of substandard
boilers of factories should be ensured so as to protect the lives of the
workers.
Appreciating
the performance of Punjab Public Service Commission, the Chief Minister said
that the measures taken by the government have encouraged talented and
hardworking candidates. Granting approval to the construction of the new
building of PPSC, he said that this institution has displayed commendable
performance regarding implementation of the merit policy. He lauded the role of
Director Information Technology in making PPSC system online and said that a
policy be devised for encouraging officers and staff showing the best
performance in all institutions for promoting competitive spirit for the benefit
of the masses. Chairman PPSC while presenting annual performance report of the
institution informed that three lakh, ten thousand and 333 applications were
processed during 2011, twenty one thousand candidates were interviewed while
recommendations were made for recruitment against more than five thousand six
hundred vacancies. He said that PPSC has made the entire examination system
online while remaining within its limited resources which will save 80 lakh
rupees annually. Secretary Industries, Secretary Local Government and Secretary
Housing briefed the cabinet regarding building control, shifting of industrial
units from the city and overlapping of the powers of development authorities.
Secretary Industries informed that the survey of industrial units within city
limits is speedily in progress. He said that Punjab Boilers & Pressure
Vessels Act 2012 will be presented in the next cabinet meeting. The law will
provide necessary legal mechanism for checking the incidents resulting from
industrial boilers. Secretary Finance presented the annual report of Punjab
Pension Fund.
The
Chief Minister congratulated minority member Rana Asif Mehmood on assuming the
office of Provincial Finance Minister and expressed the hope that he will perform
his responsibilities efficiently.
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