LAHORE - The Punjab government is considering establishment of four new tehsils in the province, three in South Punjab and one in the North Punjab, The Nation has learnt.

The provincial government has power to create new tehsils and districts under Punjab Land Revenue Act 1967.

The Board of Revenue secretary has forwarded an official letter to all the administrative secretaries saying that the government intends to establish new tehsils in four districts including Dharanwala in district Bahawalnagar, Chowk Sarwar Shaheed in district Muzaffargarh, Gagoo Mandi in district Vehari and Jalalpur Jattan in district Gujrat.

Since establishment of new administrative-cum-revenue units, require details of its financial implications, recurring and non-recurring expenditure, so the secretaries were directed to indicate the required information separately. The information sought include infrastructure development, procurement under non-development budget, number of new posts to be created, salaries and allowance of the staff, contingencies and any others.  Since, the government wanted to announce tehsils very soon so the departments were directed to furnish the required information within three days.

Bahawalnagar has already five tehsils that include Bahawalnagar, Chishtian, Fort Abbas, Haroonabad and Minchanabad, distirct Gujrat includes Gujrat, Kharian and Sarai Alamgir, distict Muzaffargarh consists of Alipur, Jatoi, Kot Addu and Muzaffargarh while distrit Vehari has three tehsils that include Mailsi, Burewala and Vehari.

As per the Punjab province statistics – The province consists of nine divisions, 36 districts and 145 tehsils. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has issued the latest list of tehsils/talukas, districts and divisions for the National Census of Housing and Population 2017.

Establishment of sub-district or tehsil is an administrative as well as revenue matter so the additional chief secretary and senior member Board of Revenue as well as other administrative secretaries are involved. A lot of funds are required for construction of new tehsil building, municipal committee, service centres for Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) revenue and civil courts, and office of the assistant commissioner. Every tehsil consists of Kanungo Circle, Wards, Patwar Halqas and Mouzajat.

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also established one new district and three news tehsils in various divisions of the province. The KP government too under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Land Revenue Act, 1967 had created District Kolai Pallas Kohistan out of the existing District Kohistan Lower. The name of sub division and tehsil of District Kolai Pallas was Pallas, as per the Board of Revenue, Revenue and Estate Department of the province.

The KP government had declared Lower Tanawal area in District Abbotabad as Tehsil. Similarly, Baffa Pakhal area in district Mansehra was notified as Tehsil, Darband area in district Mansehra was also notified as teshil.

Balochistan government also upgraded Duki and Surab tehsils and notified them as districts under Balochistan Land Revenue Act 1967. Earlier, in 2013 Balochistan had created a new district — Lehri in Nasirabad division.