Rs43b supple budget demands approved

LAHORE
Punjab Assembly on Friday after a discussion on the Supplementary Budget 2014-15 approved all 40 demands for grants that estimate at Rs43 billion. Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha laid the supplementary schedule of authorised expenditure for the year 2014-15 in the House after the budget was approved by the Assembly.
The House returned to business on Friday with an impressive number of cabinet members present as well as parliamentarians on the treasury and opposition benches. Prior to beginning the discussion on cut motions on the supplementary budget, Opposition Leader PTI MPA Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed requested the Speaker that his resolution on the recent report by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for receiving funding and training from Indian intelligence agency RAW be tabled for voting in the House. He complained that a previous resolution submitted by PTI against MQM for anti-Pakistan Army statements had not been given an opportunity to be tabled in the House.
Taking note of an error in the 8th grade geography textbook that separated South Punjab as Saraikistan, the Opposition Leader urged that his adjournment motion be accepted. It is insulting to the nation that this error was made and that Education Department had no solid answer to explain this serious issue, he added, stating that previously resolutions had been submitted and approved by the House on making the South Punjab region a separate province but there was silence from the Punjab government, which now wanted to create two provinces as seen in the textbook.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah acknowledged that both issues were important and the matter would be taken up after completing the day’s agenda. JI MPA Dr. Syed Waseem Akhter talking on the supplementary budget said the results of Saaf Paani Project launched by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would be dismal. He demanded a master plan of cities to avoid land grab and other acts of corruption by district governments. He said his constituency in Bahawalpur did not have access to clean drinking water.
PTI MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal introducing a cut motion to reduce supplementary budget spending on loans to municipalities and autonomous bodies to Re1 reiterated his earlier demand for a special audit of funds given to towns under the district governments of Punjab. Even an audit of the nine towns in Lahore under the district government would show sincerity of the government in combating massive corruption, he said. He claimed that there was no record of these towns from 2010-15 as political workers of PML-N had been patronised with postings and the lure of huge corruption money. Criticising Ramazan and Sasta bazaars, Iqbal alleged that poor quality food items were being sold and vendors guilty of overcharging were typically released by the relevant police. He claimed that PML-N political workers had been posted in WASA at the sub-inspector level and were taking bribes from poor people making requests of cleaning. He demanded that a water filtration plant be set up at BRB canal and measures be taken to improve the building of Syed Primary School in NA-122 where students were studying under the trees.
PTI MPA Dr Murad Ras challenged that an audit of Gulberg Town would be enough to substantiate their claims of corruption and narrated his earlier story regarding the decision of an Education District Officer against funds for a school supported by PTI in Ittehad Colony in Lahore. He said Rs7 billion for fixing the sewerage system from Jail Road to Ferozepur Road would greatly serve public interests and it was time for the government to release development funds to opposition members for projects in their neglected constituencies.
PML-Q MPA Sardar Vickas Hassan Mokal, meanwhile, argued that private companies had taken over government departments, including a municipal fund company that was duplicating the department with a parallel Saaf Paani Project. It shows that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif did not trust departments and had surrendered their responsibilities to these companies.
He complained of the Public Accounts Committee over checking this trend and allowing taxpayer money to flow to these companies duplicating departments. A solid waste management company is being given Rs9 billion for picking waste from 6,600 points in Lahore, for it was originally paid Rs3 billion, alleged the PML-Q MPA.
His colleague PML-Q MPA Khadija Umar blasted the government for posing as a champion of democracy while failing to hold local government elections in the past seven years in office. She claimed that 37,000 administrators had been posted in local government bodies where there was a vacancy of 50,000 elected officials. Due to this, Umar claimed that there was no check on corruption and there was no audit of Rs7 billion transferred to these bodies for roads construction. It is highly unlikely that the government would hold local government elections this September as per the orders of the Supreme Court, said Umar. PPP Parliamentary Leader Qazi Ahmed Saeed meanwhile called for salary raise for the doctors and nurses working for the good health of Punjab Assembly parliamentarians.
Finance Minister Dr. Ayesha Ghous Pasha dismissing the criticism levelled at the Punjab government stated that local government elections were a priority of the government and would be held this year. She added that restructuring of the system as per the 2013 Local Government Act was also an area of concern and a provincial finance commission was being established to ensure fair distribution of funds in Punjab. The cut motion was rejected by the House subsequently.
JI MPA Dr. Syed Waseem Akhter introducing a cut motion on roads and bridges complained that roads and bridges should have been built in areas hit by floods and other emergencies instead of being disproportionately built in mega cities. Dr Waseem threw his budget book in the direction of the Finance Minister and walked out of the House over funds for roads construction in Bahawalpur not being released despite commitments by the government. He later returned to the House after his cut motion was rejected.
Minister for Urban Development Tanveer Aslam Malik failed to give a satisfying response and kept on praising the Khadim-e-Ala Rural Roads Programme for improving the status of South Punjab.
The Speaker applied his guillotine powers at this point thereby leaving discussion on cut motions on general administration and public health unaddressed.
The House approved all 40 demands for grants under the supplementary budget thereby authorising all government expenditure of estimate Rs43 billion. The House was prorogued until further notice.