PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016

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THE PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016 
(XXVIII of 2016) 
CONTENTS 
1. Short title, extent, commencement and application 
2. Definitions 
3. Act to override other laws 
4. Vigilance Committees 
5. Constitution and composition of Vigilance Committees 
6. Functions of the Vigilance Committees 
7. Meetings 
8. Logistic support 
9. Remuneration 
10. Conduct of member 
11. Power of the Government 
12. Power to make rules 
13. Removal of difficulty 
14. Repeal 
 
TEXT 
1
THE PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016 
(XXVIII of 2016) 
[20th April, 2016] 
An 
Act 
to provide for the constitution of Vigilance Committees. 
 It is necessary to provide for the constitution of Vigilance Committees at 
District, Sub-divisional and Union Council level to ensure better and effective watch 
and ward system, and to deal with ancillary matters. 
Be it enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:– 
1. Short title, extent, commencement and application .– (1) This Act may be 
cited as the Punjab Vigilance Committees Act 2016. 
(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab. 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
(4) The Government may, by notification, and for reasons to be recorded, 
exclude any area from the operation of any of the provisions of this Act. 
2. Definitions.– In this Act: 
(a) “Act” means the Punjab Vigilance Committees Act 2016; 
(b) “Cantonment” means a Cantonment Board constituted under the 
Cantonments Act, 1924 (II of 1924) or any other law; 
(c) “Committee” means a District Vigilance Committee, Sub -divisional 
Vigilance Committee or Local Vigil ance Committee constituted under 
the Act; 
(d) “Municipal Committee” means a Municipal Committee constituted 
under the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 (XVIII of 2013); 
(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under the Act; 
(f) “proscribed organizat ion” means an organization which is proscribed 
under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997); and 
(g) “Union Council” means a Union Council constituted under the Punjab 
Local Government Act 2013 (XVIII of 2013) or a Union Administration 
constituted under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIII 
of 2001).  
3. Act to override other laws .– The provisions of this Act shall have effect 
notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law. 
                                                           
1This Act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 14 April 2016; assented to by the Governor of the Punjab on 
19 April 2016; and, was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 20 April 2016, pp. 4667-4670. 
4. Vigilance Committees .– There shall be Vigi lance Committees at District, 
Sub-divisional and Union Council or Municipal Committee level to be respectively 
named as District Vigilance Committees, Sub -divisional Vigilance Committees and 
Local Vigilance Committees. 
5. Constitution and composition of Vi gilance Committees .– (1) The 
Government shall, by notification, constitute a District Vigilance Committee 
consisting of the following members:  
(a) District Coordination Officer or head of district administration as 
Convener; 
(b) head of district police; 
(c) representative from Special Branch of the Punjab Police; 
(d) representative from Intelligence Bureau; and 
(e) not less than two members of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 
including at least one female member, from the district  to be 
nominated by the Government. 
(2) The Government shall constitute a Sub -divisional Vigilance Committee 
consisting of the following members: 
(a) Assistant Commissioner as Convener; 
(b) Sub-divisional Police Officer; 
(c) representative from Special Branch of the Punjab Police; and  
(d) three members from gener al public including one female member for a 
term of three years. 
(3) The District Vigilance Committee shall, for a term of three years, 
constitute a Local Vigilance Committee in each Union Council, Municipal Committee 
or Cantonment, consisting of the following members from the local area: 
(a) one retired judicial officer or retired Police Officer or retired officer from 
the Armed Forces of Pakistan or a retired public servant; 
(b) one social worker or a head of educational or health institution; 
(c) one representative of the traders; and 
(d) one male member and one female member. 
6. Functions of the Vigilance Committees.– (1) A District Vigilance Committee 
shall: 
(a) constitute Local Vigilance Committees for a Union Council or Municipal 
Committee and cantonment in the district within fifteen days of its 
constitution; 
(b) scrutinize the antecedents of a person to determine his eligibility to be 
a member of a Local Vigilance Committee; 
(c) accept resignation of a member of Local Vigilance Committee and 
nominate a new member to fill such vacancy; 
(d) arrange for training of members of Local Vigilance Committees by the 
Special Branch and Counter Terrorism Department of the Police; and 
(e) oversee the performance of Local Vigilance Committees and devise 
strategies to improve their performance. 
(2) A Sub-divisional Vigilance Committee shall: 
(a) liaise between the District Vigilance Committee and Local Vigilance 
Committees falling within its jurisdiction; 
(b) monitor the performance of Local Vigilance Committees and submit 
reports about such performance to the  District Vigilance Committee; 
and 
(c) ensure that Local Vigilance Committees perform their assigned 
functions efficiently and effectively. 
(3) A Local Vigilance Committee shall: 
(a) collect information relating to the following activities in the local area 
and to submit report to the police and law enforcing agencies: 
(i) presence and movement of subversive or dubious elements; 
(ii) information relating to promotion or distribution of objectionable 
and hate literature inciting sectarianism or subversion; 
(iii) wall chalking, bro chures, pamphlets, audio, audio -videos likely 
to promote sectarianism or subversion; 
(iv) collection of contribution or donation for promotion of proscribed 
organizations and unlawful associations; 
(v) information relating to tenants within its jurisdiction; and 
(vi) any other subversive or suspicious activity or movement of 
unknown persons. 
(b) report all matters pertaining to security and its recommendations to the  
Sub-divisional Vigilance Committee; 
(c) keep a close liaison with the Security Advisory Committee constituted 
under section 3 of the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishments 
Act 2015 (XIV of 2015) and provide information about any of the above 
activities to the Security Advisory Committee; and 
(d) perform such other tasks  as may be assigned by the Government, 
District Vigilance Committee, Sub -divisional Vigilance Committee and 
Security Advisory Committee relating to safety and security in the 
prescribed manner.  
7. Meetings.– (1) The District Vigilance Committees and the Sub -divisional 
Vigilance Committees shall meet at least once in a month. 
(2) The Local Vigilance Committees shall meet at least twice in a month.  
(3) A Local Vigilance Committee, in its first meeting, shall elect the 
convener and deputy convener of the Committee from amongst its members for a 
period of one year. 
(4) There shall be no bar to the re -election of the same member as 
convener and deputy convener. 
(5) The Assistant Commissioner and Sub -divisional Police Officer may 
attend a meeting of a Local Vigilance Committee. 
8. Logistic support .– (1) Se cretary of the Union Council or an officer of the 
Municipal Committee or Cantonment shall be the ex -officio Secretary of the Local 
Vigilance Committee. 
(2) The office of the Union Council or Municipal Committee shall be the 
formal place for holding meeting s of the Committee and the Union Council or 
Municipal Committee shall provide logistic support to the Committee. 
9. Remuneration.– No remuneration shall be paid to the members of the 
Committees.  
10. Conduct of member.– A person may be nominated as a membe r of a Local 
Vigilance Committee if he bears good character, is not a previous convict and has no 
past or present affiliation with any dubious or sectarian group or any proscribed 
organization.  
11. Power of the Government .– The Government may reconstitute  a 
Committee, terminate membership of any member of a Committee. 
12. Power to make rules .– The Government may, by notification, make rules for 
carrying out the purposes of this Act.   
13. Removal of difficulty .– The Government may, within one year from the  
commencement of this Act, by order, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, 
provide for the removal of any difficulty which may arise in giving effect to the 
provisions of the Act. 
14. Repeal.– The Punjab Vigilance Committees  Ordinance, 2016 (I of 2016) is 
hereby repealed.