PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in a cabinet meeting on Monday approved some amendments seeking the restoration of old magistracy system and vowed that after the approval from the federal government the system would soon be implemented in the province.
Briefing media persons regarding the cabinet meeting here at Chief Minister House, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain informed that provincial government has decided to restore the magistracy system with some modification and get it implemented after approval from the federal government.
He said that besides this the cabinet meeting also decided to recruit grade 11 to grade 14 employees through public service commission while exempting the hotel industry in Kaghan Valley from taxes for two years.
The meeting also approved proposed amendments in police order 2002 that would be sent to federal government.
It may be recalled that the chief minister had constituted a special committee under the chairmanship of former Chief Secretary Muhammad Azam Khan to review amendments in the criminal procedure code and the cabinet approved the amendments recommended by the committee after detailed discussion.
Mian Iftikhar said that committee has recommended 12 amendments due to which the post of executive magistrate has been created.
The policing plan, which was earlier prepared in consultation with district nazimeen will now be prepared in consultation with district magistrates.
The DPO would be answerable to the district magistrate regarding law and order situation while administrative magistrate and police will also work together for maintaining law and order, he added.
The district magistrate will have the power to inspect a police station in case of presence of illegal detention of a person and district magistrate would also be the member of criminal justice committee.
The cabinet also set up a committee under the chairmanship of the information minister to include Pashto as compulsory subject from class-VI onward and medium of education.
The cabinet retained the old procedure of recruitment of grade 11 to 14 through Provincial Public Service Commission and members of the commission have been increased from nine to 11.
The commission would be bound to make recruitment on advertised posts within six months, he added.
Haider Hoti directed for sending honest officers as departmental representatives to the commission for interviews. The power of transfers and posting of Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar has been handed over to the Board of Revenue.
The decision has been taken in light of the approved amendments of the provincial assembly standing committee on Revenue Department, he said, adding that the chief minister will monitor its effects for one month and if the situation improved the decision would be retained otherwise it would be withdrawn.
Iftikhar said that cabinet took strong notice of the unpleasant behaviour of district administration Nowshera with a Turkish delegation and expressed concern over the incident.
The chief minister ordered inquiry of the incident and set up a two-member committee comprising secretaries establishment and administration department with the directive to submit its report within a week.
He said the cabinet has decided to bring new townships into the net of property tax in the province and the chief minister directed the secretaries finance, excise and taxation to submit its report to the cabinet within one month.
The cabinet also ordered a detailed report whether to exempt mills set up at industrial villages of the province from property tax or not, inclusion of other industrial villages in urban areas and enforcement of property tax on it.
“A high-level committee under the chairmanship of the additional chief secretary has been formed to submit its report within 45 days,” he added.
The government also decided to celebrate Eidul Fitr with simplicity and no Eid parties would be organised at government level to express solidarity with flood victims.
The minister said that Eid would be celebrated with much simplicity and the ministers and MPAs would spend Eid with flood affectees in their respective constituencies.
Hoti on the occasion donated his one year salary for the flood affectees funds.
“The members of the cabinet donated one month salaries in the funds of flood affectees,” he added.
Ministers Bashir Bilour, Arbab Ayub Jan and Hidyatullah Khan have announced Rs5,00,000, Rs4,00,000 and Rs1,00,000 respectively for the flood victims, he added.
