Daily Times

KARACHI: The newly elected Mayors and Chairmen in Sindh province will establish Citizen Community Boards for development and improvement in service delivery, management of a new or existing public facility, identification of development and municipal needs, it is learnt.

In every local area, groups of non-elected citizens may, through voluntary, proactive and self help initiatives, would set up any number of Citizen Community Boards.

These Boards will work on mobilization of stakeholders for community involvement in improvement and maintenance of facilities; welfare of the handicapped, destitutes, widows and families in extreme poverty, establishment of farming, marketing and consumers cooperatives.

Sources told Daily Times on Wednesday that Citizen Community Boards might interact with voluntary organizations for community welfare. These boards would be set up after approval of the District Council or City Council concerned and registration with the registration authority, would carry on its functions and activities in such manner and subject to rules as may be prescribed.

For the purpose of this section, the expression ‘stakeholder association’, means voluntary association, such as parent-teacher association, patient-hospital management association, school management association or farm water associations or citizen-police liaison association.

The Boards shall have a general body of its members who shall elect a chairman, executive committee and a secretary for carrying out its functions. While, the term of office of the Board’s chairman, members of the executive committee and secretary of the Board shall be one year extendable through election for a similar term or terms by the general body.

They shall also have a general body of its members who shall elect a Chairman, Executive Committee and a Secretary of the Board for carrying out its functions.

The term of office of the Chairman, members of the Executive Committee and Secretary of the Boards shall be two years extendable through election for a similar term or terms by the general body.

All business of the Boards shall be disposed of in its meetings which shall be presided over by the Chairman. The executive committee shall hold its meetings at least once in every three months. The quorum of the meetings of the executive committee of the Boards shall be forty per cent of the total membership of the executive committee.

The Secretary of the Board shall be responsible for recording the proceedings of meetings and maintaining financial and accounting record, shall present the annual statement of accounts in annual meeting of the Board and after its approval the statement shall be submitted to the registration authority or such other authority as may be prescribed within thirty days or such other time period specified in this behalf.

The Board may, in its general meeting, remove any office bearer or member by a resolution on account of unsatisfactory performance or misconduct. Chairman and Secretary shall be responsible for safe custody and management of property and assets of the Boards. All funds shall be kept in a bank or post office and all transactions would be made through cheques. The accounts shall be operated jointly by the Chairman and Secretary and maintained by the Secretary.

Moreover, Boards may raise funds through voluntary contributions, gifts, donations, grants and endowments for its declared purposes without compromising larger interest of the community.

A Citizen Community Board may also receive project-based cost sharing support from any local government. It shall be non-profit organization and its income and assets shall be used solely for the attainment of its objectives. The properties and income of a Citizen Community Board shall vest, and be held, in the name of its executive committee. It shall sue and be sued in the name of its executive committee. No portion of its income shall be paid by way of salary, dividend, profit or bonuses or otherwise distributed to any of its members or contributors, whether past or present.

If a Board is not carrying on its functions and activities, registration authority may appoint an administrator, with such powers and functions as the registration authority deems appropriate, to run its affairs, take over its assets, its dissolution, and holding fresh elections or for the disposal of any other matter.

Where a local government has contributed towards creation of any assets or funds of a Board, in case of dissolution or deregistration, its assets shall pass on to such Local Government and assets shall continue to be used for community welfare by Local Council through any of its agencies or any other Board designated by such Local Council in this behalf. The accounts of Boards shall be subject to audit as may be prescribed.