ACS & Devolution


ACS & Devolution
The devolution plan of the Government of Pakistan has ushered in a new era of governance wherein people at the grass- roots level are empowered to take decisions for their future development needs and priorities. The District Government system has been introduced to run the affairs through elected representatives and establish a close interface with civil society at large. The Local Government Ordinance 2001 lays down procedures for functioning of these District Governments. It talks about the concept of integrated development by ensuring harmony amongst the development priorities and accordingly assigns responsibilities to various institutions to do the same. For instance the very first function of District Nazim is to provide vision for the district wide development and how it could be achieved. The Zilla Council, among others tasks, is responsible to approve development plans and require the District Government to undertake measures for good governance and improvement in the delivery of services. The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has also been made responsible to develop such plans that not only ensure appropriate municipal services but also facilitate proper land-use planning and zoning. Under section 140 of the LG Ordinance, there is a provision for District Mushavirat Committee with Zilla Nazim as its chairperson, District Naib Nazim and Tehsil Nazims as its members and District Coordination Officer as its secretary. Its main task is to crystallize vision for integrated development of district. The ACS process and the document being prepared is based on research into the ground realities and future needs/requirements of Abbottabad. The strategy document, alongwith a similar document already prepared for Chitral, will be the first of its kind as a district level integrated sustainable development vision: complementing the requirement of Local Government Ordinance 2001.The Guiding principles of the document will be decentralization and governance with an inclusive emphasis on the following: Reforming institutions, systems, processes and procedures for sustainable development; Enhancing human resource capital; Sustainably managing the renewable and non-renewable resources; Mobilizing finances for sustainable development; Identifying environment-friendly income generating opportunities; and Empowering people through participatory planning and development approaches. The above features shows that there is a strong nexus between the provisions of Devolution Plan and Abbottabad Conservation Strategy. The ACS document will offer a unique opportunity to Abbottabad to become one of the first districts to present the vision in a strategic form that captures the aspirations of the people and all stakeholders and provides a link with national and global initiatives on sustainable development.