PHC moved for honoraria to LG members

PESHAWAR: An elected representative has moved the Peshawar High Court for monthly salary or honoraria for the Local Government members of district and tehsil councils of the province. Manzoor Bashir Tangi, a member of tehsil council Tangi of Charsadda district, filed the writ petition.

He sought the court order to declare the provincial government notification on imposing ban on tehsil council members to legislate for remuneration or salary as void and direct the provincial government to start salary or honoraria or allowances for the members of tehsil and district councils across the province. The petitioner submitted that on the one hand the members of the KP Assembly were increasing own salaries 400 times but on the other the provincial government had denied them right.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qalandar Ali Khan and Justice Muhammad Ayub issued notice to provincial government and secretary Local Government to submit written comments within two days in the petition.

The petitioner submitted that the provincial government had adopted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Act 2013. Under this the tehsil elected members and officials can legislate for remuneration and allowances. But unfortunately since their election only the members of Peshawar District Council were withdrawing salaries from the exchequer and the members of other districts were deprived of this right.

The petitioner submitted that as per the Local Government Law, members of district and tehsil councils of the province passed resolutions for honoraria or salaries, but in reply the provincial government issued a notification on September 28, 2016 and banned on such resolutions.

In response, it said the government fixed Rs500 for members for only one session per month. He said that the members protested the government this notification, but to no avail. He said the members of tehsil and district councils met with responded officials including secretary and deputy Secretary Local Government KP and Secretary Law and Justice Department and conveyed a message to them that due to no salary or remuneration and allowances the members may indulge in corruption and corrupt practices, but they ignored the request. The local government representative pointed out that tehsil municipal administration can give 30 percent as remuneration to the members from annual ADP of the tehsil council.