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  "title": "PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016",
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  "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/VWAGMVNhVWU-",
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  "text": "THE PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016 \r\n(XXVIII of 2016) \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title, extent, commencement and application \r\n2. Definitions \r\n3. Act to override other laws \r\n4. Vigilance Committees \r\n5. Constitution and composition of Vigilance Committees \r\n6. Functions of the Vigilance Committees \r\n7. Meetings \r\n8. Logistic support \r\n9. Remuneration \r\n10. Conduct of member \r\n11. Power of the Government \r\n12. Power to make rules \r\n13. Removal of difficulty \r\n14. Repeal \r\n \r\nTEXT \r\n1\r\nTHE PUNJAB VIGILANCE COMMITTEES ACT 2016 \r\n(XXVIII of 2016) \r\n[20th April, 2016] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto provide for the constitution of Vigilance Committees. \r\n It is necessary to provide for the constitution of Vigilance Committees at \r\nDistrict, Sub-divisional and Union Council level to ensure better and effective watch \r\nand ward system, and to deal with ancillary matters. \r\nBe it enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:– \r\n1. Short title, extent, commencement and application .– (1) This Act may be \r\ncited as the Punjab Vigilance Committees Act 2016. \r\n(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab. \r\n(3) It shall come into force at once. \r\n(4) The Government may, by notification, and for reasons to be recorded, \r\nexclude any area from the operation of any of the provisions of this Act. \r\n2. Definitions.– In this Act: \r\n(a) “Act” means the Punjab Vigilance Committees Act 2016; \r\n(b) “Cantonment” means a Cantonment Board constituted under the \r\nCantonments Act, 1924 (II of 1924) or any other law; \r\n(c) “Committee” means a District Vigilance Committee, Sub -divisional \r\nVigilance Committee or Local Vigil ance Committee constituted under \r\nthe Act; \r\n(d) “Municipal Committee” means a Municipal Committee constituted \r\nunder the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 (XVIII of 2013); \r\n(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under the Act; \r\n(f) “proscribed organizat ion” means an organization which is proscribed \r\nunder the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997); and \r\n(g) “Union Council” means a Union Council constituted under the Punjab \r\nLocal Government Act 2013 (XVIII of 2013) or a Union Administration \r\nconstituted under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIII \r\nof 2001).  \r\n3. Act to override other laws .– The provisions of this Act shall have effect \r\nnotwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law. \r\n                                                           \r\n1This Act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 14 April 2016; assented to by the Governor of the Punjab on \r\n19 April 2016; and, was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 20 April 2016, pp. 4667-4670. \r\n4. Vigilance Committees .– There shall be Vigi lance Committees at District, \r\nSub-divisional and Union Council or Municipal Committee level to be respectively \r\nnamed as District Vigilance Committees, Sub -divisional Vigilance Committees and \r\nLocal Vigilance Committees. \r\n5. Constitution and composition of Vi gilance Committees .– (1) The \r\nGovernment shall, by notification, constitute a District Vigilance Committee \r\nconsisting of the following members:  \r\n(a) District Coordination Officer or head of district administration as \r\nConvener; \r\n(b) head of district police; \r\n(c) representative from Special Branch of the Punjab Police; \r\n(d) representative from Intelligence Bureau; and \r\n(e) not less than two members of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, \r\nincluding at least one female member, from the district  to be \r\nnominated by the Government. \r\n(2) The Government shall constitute a Sub -divisional Vigilance Committee \r\nconsisting of the following members: \r\n(a) Assistant Commissioner as Convener; \r\n(b) Sub-divisional Police Officer; \r\n(c) representative from Special Branch of the Punjab Police; and  \r\n(d) three members from gener al public including one female member for a \r\nterm of three years. \r\n(3) The District Vigilance Committee shall, for a term of three years, \r\nconstitute a Local Vigilance Committee in each Union Council, Municipal Committee \r\nor Cantonment, consisting of the following members from the local area: \r\n(a) one retired judicial officer or retired Police Officer or retired officer from \r\nthe Armed Forces of Pakistan or a retired public servant; \r\n(b) one social worker or a head of educational or health institution; \r\n(c) one representative of the traders; and \r\n(d) one male member and one female member. \r\n6. Functions of the Vigilance Committees.– (1) A District Vigilance Committee \r\nshall: \r\n(a) constitute Local Vigilance Committees for a Union Council or Municipal \r\nCommittee and cantonment in the district within fifteen days of its \r\nconstitution; \r\n(b) scrutinize the antecedents of a person to determine his eligibility to be \r\na member of a Local Vigilance Committee; \r\n(c) accept resignation of a member of Local Vigilance Committee and \r\nnominate a new member to fill such vacancy; \r\n(d) arrange for training of members of Local Vigilance Committees by the \r\nSpecial Branch and Counter Terrorism Department of the Police; and \r\n(e) oversee the performance of Local Vigilance Committees and devise \r\nstrategies to improve their performance. \r\n(2) A Sub-divisional Vigilance Committee shall: \r\n(a) liaise between the District Vigilance Committee and Local Vigilance \r\nCommittees falling within its jurisdiction; \r\n(b) monitor the performance of Local Vigilance Committees and submit \r\nreports about such performance to the  District Vigilance Committee; \r\nand \r\n(c) ensure that Local Vigilance Committees perform their assigned \r\nfunctions efficiently and effectively. \r\n(3) A Local Vigilance Committee shall: \r\n(a) collect information relating to the following activities in the local area \r\nand to submit report to the police and law enforcing agencies: \r\n(i) presence and movement of subversive or dubious elements; \r\n(ii) information relating to promotion or distribution of objectionable \r\nand hate literature inciting sectarianism or subversion; \r\n(iii) wall chalking, bro chures, pamphlets, audio, audio -videos likely \r\nto promote sectarianism or subversion; \r\n(iv) collection of contribution or donation for promotion of proscribed \r\norganizations and unlawful associations; \r\n(v) information relating to tenants within its jurisdiction; and \r\n(vi) any other subversive or suspicious activity or movement of \r\nunknown persons. \r\n(b) report all matters pertaining to security and its recommendations to the  \r\nSub-divisional Vigilance Committee; \r\n(c) keep a close liaison with the Security Advisory Committee constituted \r\nunder section 3 of the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishments \r\nAct 2015 (XIV of 2015) and provide information about any of the above \r\nactivities to the Security Advisory Committee; and \r\n(d) perform such other tasks  as may be assigned by the Government, \r\nDistrict Vigilance Committee, Sub -divisional Vigilance Committee and \r\nSecurity Advisory Committee relating to safety and security in the \r\nprescribed manner.  \r\n7. Meetings.– (1) The District Vigilance Committees and the Sub -divisional \r\nVigilance Committees shall meet at least once in a month. \r\n(2) The Local Vigilance Committees shall meet at least twice in a month.  \r\n(3) A Local Vigilance Committee, in its first meeting, shall elect the \r\nconvener and deputy convener of the Committee from amongst its members for a \r\nperiod of one year. \r\n(4) There shall be no bar to the re -election of the same member as \r\nconvener and deputy convener. \r\n(5) The Assistant Commissioner and Sub -divisional Police Officer may \r\nattend a meeting of a Local Vigilance Committee. \r\n8. Logistic support .– (1) Se cretary of the Union Council or an officer of the \r\nMunicipal Committee or Cantonment shall be the ex -officio Secretary of the Local \r\nVigilance Committee. \r\n(2) The office of the Union Council or Municipal Committee shall be the \r\nformal place for holding meeting s of the Committee and the Union Council or \r\nMunicipal Committee shall provide logistic support to the Committee. \r\n9. Remuneration.– No remuneration shall be paid to the members of the \r\nCommittees.  \r\n10. Conduct of member.– A person may be nominated as a membe r of a Local \r\nVigilance Committee if he bears good character, is not a previous convict and has no \r\npast or present affiliation with any dubious or sectarian group or any proscribed \r\norganization.  \r\n11. Power of the Government .– The Government may reconstitute  a \r\nCommittee, terminate membership of any member of a Committee. \r\n12. Power to make rules .– The Government may, by notification, make rules for \r\ncarrying out the purposes of this Act.   \r\n13. Removal of difficulty .– The Government may, within one year from the  \r\ncommencement of this Act, by order, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, \r\nprovide for the removal of any difficulty which may arise in giving effect to the \r\nprovisions of the Act. \r\n14. Repeal.– The Punjab Vigilance Committees  Ordinance, 2016 (I of 2016) is \r\nhereby repealed.",
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