KARACHI:
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday said it was the constitutional responsibility of the Sindh government to empower local government bodies by ensuring devolution of powers to the local government representative.
In a decision on a plea filed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in 2013 against the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, the top court told the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government to transfer financial, administrative, and political powers to the local government.
The top court further said that the provincial government could not initiate a project if it fell under the purview of the local government.
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It also declared sections 74 and 75 of the local government act void, adding that the government should take measures to make the law in accordance with Article 140 of the Constitution.
In his judgment, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed stated that the creation and implementation of the city’s master plan was the “prerogative of the local bodiesâ€.
The apex court further told the Sindh government to amend the laws in which there was a contradiction between the powers of the provincial and the local government.
The Sindh government has been told to amend the rules pertaining to the Sindh Building Control Authority and the Karachi Development Authority along with amendments to laws that pertained to Hyderabad and Malir development authorities.
He remarked that the Sindh government was bound to keep a “good working relationship with the local governmentsâ€.
