PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday said his government could end loadshedding within a week if Wapda was placed under its control.
“We can resolve energy crisis within a week if Wapda is handed over to us,” he told the provincial assembly a point of order.The chief minister said it was federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity to the local residents and not the provincial government.He said Wapda had adopted indifferent attitude towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as it was giving it electricity less than due share and thus, causing power outages in some areas for more than 18 hours daily.
Mr Khattak said the federal government should hand over Wapda to the provincial government if the authority could not meet energy requirements of the province.He said he had discussed the issue of excessive loadshedding with the Wapda chairman and water and power secretary, but to no avail.The chief minister said under Article 157 of the Constitution, electric supply from the national grid was the responsibility of the federal government and therefore, the provincial government was helpless about the excessive load shedding.
He said he was receiving more than 200 complaints about loadshedding daily and general impression was that PTI government was silent about the issue.Mr Khattak said the provincial government was making investment in hydel and solar power generation to address the load shedding issue forever.Later, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution demanding of the federal government to ensure supply of electricity to the province in accordance to the formula agreed upon.
The resolution declared load shedding unconstitutional and unethical and said the frequent load-shedding was not only causing law and order situation but also affected economic activities in the province.Muzaffar Syed of Jamaat-i-Islami tabled the resolution.Earlier, the House resumed debate on demands for grant to approve expenditure for various departments and institutions for financial year 2013-14.It approved only two demands for grants.
Under the Provincial Assembly Procedure and Conduct of Rules of Business, a member can move a motion to reduce the amount of a demand or omit or reduce an item in a demand.The main purpose of the cut motion is to oppose the appropriation and the relevant MPA brings the motion to change the proposed allocations under any head in the budget.However, growing practice in the assembly is that lawmakers both from the treasury and the opposition instead of changing the proposed allocations give suggestions to the ministers.
Many lawmakers used cut motions as tool for developing personal rapport or intimacy with the ministers and chief minister.A lawmaker from the opposition side while presenting cut motion on excise and taxation said: “Mr speaker, I present cut motion, but withdraw it because Chief Minister Pervez Khattak smiled at me.”Speaking on a cut motion, provincial revenue minister Amin Gandapur said the government would computerise land revenue record in the province.He said PTI was committed to eliminating patwari culture and for the purpose, a complaint cell had been set up at the office of the senior member of revenue. – Dawn
