Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani on Tuesday chaired the meeting of the provincial Local Government Commission on Tuesday in his capacity as the commission’s chairman. The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary for the Sindh Local Government Department, Syed Khalid Hyder Shah, the commission’s member, Abdul Raheem Soomro, Sindh Law Secretary Ali Baloch, and the Director-General of the commission, Zulfiqar Ali Nizmani. The meeting considered the dispute between the Lyari Development Authority and Town Municipal Corporation Maripur to settle the controversy about the jurisdictions of the two agencies for laying the optic fibre cable. Maripur Town was represented in the meeting by its Chairman, Humayun Khan, Director of Administration, Legal Adviser and Assistant Engineer. The LDA was represented by its Secretary, Director of Anti-Encroachments, and Assistant Executive Engineer. The two sides presented arguments in favour of their respective agencies. The two agencies, in their arguments, claimed that the disputed road, which was the basis of this controversy, was situated in their respective jurisdictions, so they were the lawful claimant of the right of way charges. The commission heard this case as per its authority defined in the Sindh Local Government Act 2013. The commission also heard the case related to the dispute between Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and town municipal corporations (TMCs) Shah Lateef and Hussainabad about their jurisdictions. The commission heard the two sides. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was represented by its Municipal Commissioner, while two TMCs were represented by their respective chairmen. The commission also considered the application filed by the Municipal Corporation Dadu against the administrative powers of the committee of the animal market in Dadu. The commission reserved its judgment in this case. The commission members were also informed that the Hyderabad bench of the Sindh High Court had directed the Union Council Lakhi Meerwa and District Tando Muhammad Khan to present their dispute about tax collection authority before the commission. The commission decided to ensure early resolution of this issue after hearing both parties, and later the commission’s decision in this regard would be communicated to the honourable court. The Sindh Local Government Minister, who is also chairman of the commission, said that they had been trying their best to resolve disputes among various municipal agencies as per the law without coming under any pressure. He said the members of the commission were free to independently form their opinions on these issues, and the final judgment was based on these views. He mentioned that the Sindh Local Government Act-2013 had been enacted in the best interest of the public so that the system of municipal governance should serve the masses at the grass-roots level. He said that all the municipal agencies in Sindh, including metropolitan corporations, municipal corporations, union councils, and union committees, had been fully empowered. He said the Sindh Local Government Commission was the lawful authority to protect these powers and resolve any related disputes.