FOs and AWBs Elections Finalized

The Managing Director PIDA Irfan Elahi has directed to early ensure the elections of Board members in Lower Chenab Canal (East), Bahawalnagar and Dera Jaat Area Water Boards. The elections process of Khal Panchayts and Farmers Organization in all these Area Water Boards has already been completed. The MD while presiding the “5^th Joint Monitoring Meeting of PISIP-SIAP Activities under JICA Finances” directed that the elections of Area Water Board members should be conducted without any further delay. On an inquiry about the delay in elections of Farmers Organizations in Lower Chenab Canal (West) Area Water Board, the Deputy General Manager Najmus Saqib Rehmani apprised the meeting that the said elections could not be conducted due to the lack of financial resources. The Technical Advisor JICA Aslam Qureshi proposed that some loan out of Abian share may be incurred on election activity which may be credited from supplementary grant but the meeting observed that the Abiana share are the Government receipts and can not be incurred on elections of FOs.  The Managing Director directed the finance wing of PIDA to take immediate action for the supplementary grant, so that the other activities may not suffer.

Earlier, the Deputy General Manager (TM) also proposed that the expenses on elections of FOs can be met by imposing nominal elections fee upon contesting candidates of Khal Panchayts and Farmers Organizations. He also referred the clause 5(15) of PIDA Act 1997 in favor of his proposal. The Managing Director instructed to prepare a detailed proposal in this regard and suggest amendments in concerned regulations to make the proposal compatible with the legal framework of PIDA.