PA unanimously passes bill to give status of university to Govt College Hyderabad

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed into law the bill to upgrade the status of Government College, Kali Mori, Hyderabad, as a university. The bill was moved in the house by the Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.

The provincial minister said that the status of the Govt College Hyderabad was being upgraded as university as a gift for people of Hyderabad as the college in question had already completed 100 years of its existence. He said that there already existed the need to establish a general university in the Hyderabad city.

The Sindh Assembly also unanimously passed into law the Sindh Public Private Partnership (Amendment) Bill-2018. The bill was originally moved in the house on Thursday but its consideration was deferred for a day as the opposition pointed out certain lacunas in it. The bill envisages establishing a “Project support facility” with due representation of private sector to facilitate the process of public-private partnership (PPP) and to do projects under this mode in a more autonomous manner with least or no interference from the govt. Earlier, a unit established at the Sindh Government’s Finance Department was looking after the process of projects being done under the PPP’s mode of development works.

Meanwhile, MPA of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Nusrat Seher Abbasi staged a walkout from the house in protest as she was denied the permission to present her adjournment motion on closure of a government school in Hijrat Colony of Karachi. The concerned opposition MPA said that the government had been keeping silence on the issue as the area people had been denied opportunity to get education for their children.

Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro opposed the motion saying that rules of procedure of the Sindh Assembly didn’t allow discussion on such a motion. The concerned MPA tore the copy of the agenda of the Sindh Assembly’s sitting, shouted in protest before staging the protest walkout from the house.

Meanwhile, opposition MPA Nadeem Razi, who joined the Pak Sarzameen Party after leaving Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan, presented his call attention notice on the plight of National Highway in Karachi from Malir Halt to Malir City. The concerned MPA said the government should give due attention to the issue as traffic accidents did take place on portion of the main highway on a frequent basis owing to its present bad condition. The concerned MPA wanted to know the time period required by the government to reconstruct the road.

Responding to the call attention notice, Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro said that Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was responsible for building the portion of the road in question as for the purpose Sindh government had transferred 100 per cent finances to the KMC. Even additional finances have been given for laying sewerage lines beneath the road, he said. He said that an additional three months had been given to the KMC to reconstruct this road.

Opposition MPA Sheeraz Waheed, who also joined the PSP after leaving the MQM Pakistan, presented his call attention notice on the issue of unattended municipal waste in Korangi area saying that piles of garbage were seen everywhere in the area.

The concerned opposition MPA said that nobody was willing to do the waste disposal work in Korangi despite that Rs50 million were given each month to do this work in the district. He said that elected local govt leadership in the city was not ready to do their work as instead they were always complaining about lack of municipal authorities given to them.

Responding to the call-attention notice, the Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the Sindh government had been duly giving due share of funds to the District Korangi under Octroi Zilla Tax to perform such important municipal tasks.

He said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management was ready to perform the work related to disposal of waste in Korangi if a resolution to this effect was passed by the District Council Korangi.

Earlier, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani reminded lawmakers in the house that they should not carry with them cellular phones when they come to the assembly on Saturday (today) to cast vote in the Senate elections. He said that visitors’ passes were also no more valid to enter the building of provincial assembly on Saturday owing to the Senate polls.The house was later adjourned till Monday (05 March, 2018).