AFTER a long time, an enhanced development activity especially improving road infrastructure is quite visible in the federal capital, which undoubtedly will not only improve its connectivity but also add to its beautiful landscape.
Projects such as up gradation of I J Principal Road and construction of Margalla Avenue as well as flyovers and underpasses at various places were long awaited and it is a matter of satisfaction that finally work has been started on them.
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, an MNA from a capital constituency, performed ground breaking of yet another important 10th avenue project to be completed at a cost of Rs 10b in one and a half year.
Speaking on the occasion, he also announced that a fully empowered local government system will soon be introduced in Islamabad and that the mayor will be elected directly by residents of the capital.
We welcome this decision of direct Mayor elections and this should be replicated in other cities of the country as well.
Coming through such process will give a great deal of power to mayors to take decisions independently as they will not be at the mercy of votes of chairmen union councils.
The mayoral model has also proved to be very successful in many other countries including the United Kingdom. The direct elections give substantial democratic legitimacy and makes mayor more accountable.
However, it is also important that chairmen union councils or councillors are also not made toothless rather they should also be provided with powers and resources to address problems of the people at their doorsteps.
One fully agrees with assertion of Asad Umar that most of the powers should be transferred to local governments that were evaded in the past as successive federal and provincial governments wanted to call the shots for their petty vested interests.
But PTI government must reconsider the decision of handing over subject of education to local government.
Already teachers of federal schools are protesting and educational institutions are shut over the last one-week on this matter.
In our view concerns of the teachers cannot be overlooked, as they are right in thinking that putting Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) under mayor will politicise it.
Initially Metropolitan Corporation will neither have the capacity nor resources to run affairs of such a huge network of schools in the capital.
Hence, we will suggest that this idea of devolving FDE to local government should be abandoned. It may be done at some later stage after seeing performance of local government in other sectors.
