Delimitation of union councils to start next month

PESHAWAR, Nov 20: The Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) Department is likely to start the delimitation of local councils in the first week of December. The deputy commissioner of each district will serve as the district delimitation officer. The fresh delimitation of village and neighbourhood councils would be done without changing traditional boundaries of the respective areas. The rules for delimitation have been framed under the recently-promulgated new local bodies law under which the delimitation would be carried out without changing the boundaries of traditional village in rural areas. Similarly, the neighbourhood councils in urban areas would be delimited without disturbing the unity of census blocks. Sources said that the general seats in village and neighbourhood councils would be determined on the basis of population of the areas. Wards for general seats in tehsil and district councils would be delimited by grouping together geographically contiguous village councils or, as the case may be, neighbourhood councils, having regard to existing boundaries of administrative units, facilities of communications, public convenience etc to ensure homogeneity in the creation of wards, they said. The sources said the DDOs would be empowered to propose the number and names of village councils on the basis of population, and neighbourhood councils across the district in accordance with the local government law. They said that the DDOs would draw the boundaries of the village councils and neighbourhood councils in a tehsil and district into groups to constitute territorial wards according to the number of general seats allocated in the law to the respective tehsil and district councils. Any person entitled to vote in elections in the district may, within 10 days of publication of the report, could make a representation to the DDO in respect of delimitation of a village, neighbourhood and ward of tehsil and district councils. The DDOs have to consider the representations, if any, received, make such amendments, alterations or modifications, in the preliminary published list as they (DDOs) consider necessary, and will, within three days of last day fixed for filing of representations, publish the final report and list showing the areas included in each village, neighbourhood councils, ward of tehsil and district council in the district. Under the rules, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Councils Delimitation Authority (LCDA) would appoint a divisional appellate authority (DAA) of government officers for hearing and disposal of appeals against the orders of DDOs in the respective revenue division. The function of the DAA is to examine the record of representation by any person feeling aggrieved with the DDO’s orders. If the objections are found to be valid, the DAA would order the DDO to incorporate such modifications, as he thinks appropriate in the final list of delimitation. The DDO would then provide the final list to the LCDA forthwith, which would publish the final list in the official gazette within seven days. The LCDA has the power to make amendment or modification in the final list of local councils, if it thinks necessary.  ]]>