Payment of salary to MCR staff before Eid in doubt

Rawalpindi : The Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) and Town Municipal Administrations (TMAs) are facing difficulties in all money related matters as banks refused to cash their cheques without house permission.

This situation ran fear of stoppage of salaries among the MCR staff before Eidul Azha.

The LHC (Rawalpindi Bench) had given stay orders on all matters and directed Punjab Chief Secretary, Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, Deputy Commissioner and MCR chief officer to appear in person in the court on July 14, 2021.

The Mayor Rawalpindi Sardar Naseem Khan said that all activities after March 25 were illegal and unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court had ordered to restore local body system on March 25. We have filed contempt of court writ against Punjab government in this regard, he said. The MCR and other town municipal administrations in the province could not do anything without the house permission, he said.

Municipal Officer (Finance) Raja Iftikhar told ‘The News’ that banks were refusing to cash cheques without the house permission. “We are fully trying to handle the matter to manage salaries of the staff before Eid,” he said.

The apex court on March 25, through a short order, restored the local bodies system in the province after declaring their dissolution unconstitutional. But, the provincial government has not yet issued any notification about the restoration of the local body system.

The elected local bodies representatives headed by Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan some days back broke locks of the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) office and took over the charge with force but issues yet not settled. All kinds of tenders, auctions, development works, etc in MCR were stopped on court orders.

The MCR officers were in a state of tension due to the present situation as they could not do anything because all kinds of work had been stopped.

The sources said that elected representatives of the house approached all banks to show them court orders and warned them not to cash cheques otherwise they would have to face contempt of court.

The Supreme Court’s detailed judgment was issued on July 5, but the Punjab government yet not issued any notification. The elected representatives of local bodies have expressed concern since the Punjab government appears unwilling to allow them to run the local bodies.