District council and municipal corporation systems will be abolished once the new framework is implemented.
RAWALPINDI:
Rawalpindi city has been divided into two parts under the new local government system. The cities will be Rawal Town One and Rawal Town Two, or other names may be assigned later.
The city will now be divided into two cities, each with its own mayor and a total of four deputy mayors will be appointed. Under this system, the district council and municipal corporation framework will be completely abolished.
Also, according to sources, Rawalpindi district has been divided into seven cities under the new local government structure.
The division was along Murree Road, with all union councils on one side of Murree Road included in City One, while union councils on the other side will come under City Two.
A separate city of Potohar will be formed, consisting of rural union councils. Similarly, other tehsils of Rawalpindi district will be designated as cities including Kallar Syedan Town, Kahuta Town, Gujar Khan Town and Taxila Town.
Under the new system, the district council will be permanently abolished, while the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation will also cease to exist. As soon as the schedule of local government elections in Punjab is announced, the new urban system will come into operation.
Across Punjab, local government elections without political parties are being seriously considered during the first half of the new year, probably in April or May. Under this system, union councils will also be reorganized.
The district system within union councils has been abolished and each councilor will now represent the entire union council constituency. After being elected, all councillors, including Labor councillors, will elect their chairperson and deputy chairperson by majority vote.
Former Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan welcomed the new local government system comprising two mayors and four deputy mayors of the city. He said the system would facilitate the delivery of public services, lead to record development projects and ensure that public problems are resolved at the doorsteps of the people.
He added that the new year will be the year of local government and once local bodies are formed, new development initiatives will begin.
