A group of villages (5-23) form a Union Council (UC), the basic administrative unit in the rural area. The members of the UC (Councillors) are elected by ballot on the basis of adult franchise with an average of one Councillor for every 1,000 residents. The Councillors elect one of their members as a Chairman and hold regular meeting at least once a month under his chairmanship. There are 12 Union Councils presently in rural Islamabad with a Secretary in each Union Council.
The Union Council's various functions. Aside from the routine work of general administrative affairs, the UC undertakes, if necessary, the provision, maintenance, improvement and management of public structures such as roads, streets, culverts, bridges, public buildings, gardens and playgrounds, etc., as well as formulation of union development programme, promotion of various cooperative associations, and approving projects to be constructed by the UC, especially with regard to educational and medical facilities, water supply system, sanitation and farm roads.
The Union Council incorporates the development programme various schemes into the draft budget for the subsequent fiscal year and submit it to the Deputy Commissioner/Project Director LG&RD Islamabad. The Deputy Commissioner subsequently refers these schemes to the Rural Area Coordination Committee for coordination among the Union Councils in the area in terms of their planning and implementation. Priority of the schemes is given by R.A.C.C.
Rural Area Coordination Committee (RACC) mainly coordinates the activities of all Union Councils and of all Government and Semi-Government Departments or institutions in the rural area of ICT. The RACC is a local government institution at the district level and consists of all the elected chairman of the 12 Union Councils, and ex-officio members such as representatives from CDA, WAPDA, A.E.S. Departments and heads of various other nation building departments, including engineers and directors.
RACC coordinates agreement between various government and semi-government departments and Union Councils. It also coordinates planning and implementation of local development schemes for each fiscal year, as well as various other activities. When a unanimous decision can not be obtained at a meeting, the 12 elected chairman of Union Councils settle the issue by vote.
At present the Deputy Commissioner, ICT is looking after the working of RACC as Administrator.
