Sindh Assembly passes Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2021

• Opposition members, however, said they were not taken into confidence regarding the new local body government.
• During the protest, Opposition members carried placards in front of the speaker's dice, chanted slogans, and boycotted the proceedings.
• The bill was, however, passed unanimously.

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KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Despite an objection from the Opposition, the Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussian Shah presented the bill in the provincial assembly.

Opposition members said they were not taken into confidence regarding the new local body government and staged a protest regarding that.

 During the protest, Opposition members carried placards in front of the speaker's dice, chanted slogans, and boycotted the proceedings, however, the amendment bill was passed unanimously.

Under the new bill, the Sindh government will take over the management of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Sobhraj Hospital, Leprosy Centre, and Sarfraz Rafiqi Hospital, along with the management of Medical and Dental College which previously fell under Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). Meanwhile, the control of education and health departments will also be taken away from the local bodies.

The Department of Births and Deaths and Infectious Diseases was withdrawn from the local bodies.

There will be a system of corporations and towns in major cities of Sindh, including Karachi, while the vice-chairman of union committees will be members of the town municipal council. Meanwhile, the mayor and deputy mayor will be elected from among the members of the town municipal council.

With a population of at least 5 million, there will be a metropolitan corporation and the term of local government representatives will be four years.