Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The matter regarding the future of the local bodies and giving authority to the newly elected Mayor in Islamabad could not be resolved amicably

A meeting of all the stake holders which was held at the Convention Centre, under the chairmanship of State Minister, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, concluded without any consensus being reached.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman CDA, Maroof Afzal, the newly elected Mayor, Sheikh Ansar, Deputy Mayors Riffat Chaudhary, Azam Khan and Zeeeshan along with the labour leaders of the CDA Employees Union, but surprisingly enough no officer from the district administration and the ministry of interior was invited to the meeting.

Some corners have filed applications against the Metropolitan Corporation in the courts of law.

During the meeting the representatives of the CBA union of the CDA made the Mayor Islamabad and Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary answerless and they promised to convene a next meeting soon and adjourned the present session.

Nine months have passed after the election of the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor Islamabad, but they are still looking for the transfer of the authority to them despite the facts that the political workers belonging to different political parties were elected as the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman of Union Council, as well as councilors, after bearing heavy expenditures during the local bodies polls but they are working without any administrative or financial powers.

The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) had issued a notification about the devolution of powers to the Metropolitan Corporation on June 22 this year .

The services of some 9500 employees of the CDA were also transferred to the newly elected local city government.

But the CDA Employees Union, which enjoys the status of a Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) had challenged the move in the Islamabad High Court.

The court ordered the CADD that the decision may be taken regarding the auythorities and the employees of metropolitan corporation after consultng all the stake holders.

Under the light of the court’s orders the meeting was held on Tuesday.

The Secretary General of the CDA Union, Chaudhary Yasin, said on the occasion that 9500 staff members of the Capital Development Authority were transferred to the newly elected local government without any consultation with the union.

He asked the mayor about the future of these employees after their transfer.

He said that rules and regulations for their protection should be framed before any decision was taken on the matter.

He said that there were many questions like who would give them pensions after their retirement, how the matter of settlements would be resolved and from where they would get healthcare facilities.

“The elected representatives have been given the facility of treatment at the CDA hospital but the employees were not allowed healthcare facilities either at the PIMS or the Polyclinic Hospital”, he added.

The labour leader said that it was not possible that the elected representatives may make a policy and the CDA may only act upon it. He said that it would be unjust to leave the 9500 employees at the mercy of the Metropolitan Corporation which was still unaware about its own future.

Yasin said that the confidence of the people in the elected reps would be shattered the way the state of affairs were being run.

He said that the CDA should not be made the scapegoat and other departments could also be transferred to the local government.

The meeting was told that the employees of the CDA Hospital , the Water Supply and Environment Directorate of the CDA have also moved applications in the court and some of the employees would also file applications within the next two or three days against the metropolitan corporation so it would be better to find a solution of the problem in the light of law.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said that the new departments take roots very slowly .The weaknesses would be removed with the passage of time.