Responding to public complaints regarding Union Council funds and financial oversight, the Sindh government has launched a major initiative to reform local government laws, with a stated aim of devolving power to the grassroots level.
The move was announced following the first meeting of a high-level committee on Wednesday, chaired by Sindh Minister for Local Government, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah. The committee resolved to take all political parties into confidence for framing the new legislation, setting a three-month timeline to gather suggestions before preparing final recommendations.
Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, addressing the assembly, revealed that numerous complaints about checks and balances were received during open court sessions. He emphasized that, in line with directives from Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, powers must be devolved to provide relief to the public.
During the session, proposals were presented to strengthen the authority of Union Council Deputy Mayors and Town Vice Chairmen. The minister stressed the need to empower these officials by granting them appropriate authority to improve local governance.
A new framework for development projects was also decided, stipulating that schemes for a specific area will be managed by the local Chairman, while district-level initiatives will be handled by the District Chairman. Furthermore, it was determined that each Union Council scheme should have a minimum value of five million rupees.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of Local Government and Members of the Provincial Assembly, including Samita Afzal, Qasim Soomro, Jameel Soomro, and Qasim Naveed. Zain-ul-Abideen was appointed as the focal person for the committee.