Sindh Assembly agrees to establish public procurement regulatory body

Sindh Assembly agrees to the establishment of provincial public procurement regulatory body by passing the long awaited Sindh Public Procurement Bill, 2009 into law unanimously on Friday. The provincial legislature, which met at Assembly Building with Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in the chair, also toughened public property laws for ensuring a timely submission of occupancy price by saying yes to Government Bill No 6, Sindh Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2009.
Further, during the Question Hour, Revenue Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo told the house that the families of 185 victims of 2008 monsoon rains in Sindh were yet to receive compensation for their losses. According to the bill the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA), an 11-member Karachi based corporate body, would regulate the procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector and for matter connected therewith or ancillary thereto.
The Authority would have the power to take "such measures and exercise such powers as may be necessary for improving governance, management transparency, accountability and 'quality of public procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector as well as in collaboration with the private sector," it added.
An ill-co-ordinate status of the long-delayed bill surfaced when some on the spot changes were made in the laws by the house. According to the amendments the name of Chief Secretary as Chairman Board of Directors of SPPRA was replaced with Sindh Law Minister (Ayaz Soomro) with the former to fill the seat of his deputy. Another unplanned change demoted the additional chief secretary (Panning and Development Department) from the Board's Vice Chairman to a member.
The board members would include provincial secretaries of Finance, Law, Irrigation and power, works and Services, IT, president of Karachi Chambers of Commerce & Industry or his nominee, nominee of Pakistan Engineering Council, a renowned government nominated IT professional, a renowned government nominated professional in management and financial sectors, a representative of Transparency International Pakistan, two government nominated civil society members, representative of the Auditor General of Pakistan and Managing Director who would be acting as secretary of the Board. The private sector's member of the Board, where seven members would constitute the quorum for a meeting, would hold the office for a three-year period.
The amendment bill on colonisation of government land, that also received a nod from the house, restricts the allottees/leasees of government lands (since December 6, 1969 or henceforth) to deposit the occupancy price within three months after the issuance of offer/allotment letter regarding the grant, allotment or lease of land. In case of failure, the bill says, the offer/allotment letter would automatically stand withdrawn and would not be restored until the applicant applies afresh.
Further, the bill also restricted the allotees/leasees to use the acquired land for the purpose, for which it was granted or allotted or converted or leased out, as after a period of two years from the date of grant/allotment/conversion/lease, the same would automatically stand cancelled and the deposited amount forfeited. The competent authority, however, may extend the expiry period for one year more in the justified cases on payment often percent (10 percent) of the occupancy prices, it adds.
It says "24-A Notwithstanding any thing contained in this Act, or any other law for the time being in force, any land which through allotment order, Ijazatnama, Sanad or reservation order was, granted or leased for specific purpose is used for any other purpose shall stand resumed to 'the Provincial Government without any compensation". "Provided that the provisions of this section will not be applicable to the lands mutated or granted for agricultural purpose on permanent basis and the owners have acquired proprietary rights without condition."
Earlier, various issues, like cheating during the last matric and Intermediate examinations, alleged killing of the custodians of shrines in Sindh by the extremists, delay in the issuance of admit cards to teaching hopefuls, load shedding in the city, alleged commercial activities in parks, amenity fields and education institutions, desecration of Benazir Bhutto's portrait in Arts Council etc hit floor of the house on point of orders. The provincial legislators would assemble again on Monday, April 19, at 10am.