Heartening, indeed, it is to learn from a Recorder Report that the government sailed through the National Assembly with a bill to establish Alternative Energy Development Board as a permanent body to facilitate development and to generate alternative and renewable energy sources.
It is, however, another matter that all the amendments proposed by the opposition had to be dropped, ostensibly due to its walkout. Understandable, in a way, will be the government's urge to rush through the bill in the National Assembly. For the AEDB, established by an ordinance four years ago required the President's nod every three months. The new bill, before its enactment, would have to be endorsed by the Senate.
At that stage, the passage of the bill may be delayed by the opposition's likely amendments too. Be that as it may, the fact remains that in view of the vital role the Board is required to play in the development of the energy sector, both sides in the Upper House would better find some way of its smooth passage. For it would ensure the AEDB's uninterrupted functioning as an autonomous body in the larger interest of the country.
It will be noted that on this body shall fall the onus not only of development of strategies, policies, and plans for utilisation of alternative and renewable energy resources, but also of implementation of policies, programmes and projects in the domain of alternative and renewable energy technologies.
Energy starved as Pakistan has remained over a long past, it has resorted, from time to time, to numerous initiatives, including nuclear, but falling too short of the country's fast multiplying energy needs. Prior to the renewed thrust during recent years, emphasis was laid on cheaper and more convenient energy resources, such as bio mass, and with some success, at least, in certain parts of the country. However, the Appropriate Technology Development Organisation, which was set up to pursue it, could not achieve much in that direction.
As for the ongoing efforts the scramble for a widening range of alternate and renewable energy, it will be seen, essentially, emerging from the grim failure of the conventional sources to be of help in meeting the galloping rise in demand for energy. Vigorously pursued though the strategies adopted for the purpose required deft handling in a thoroughly organised manner. That, perhaps, was why hastening with it, the Alternative Energy Development Board was put in place through an ordinance.
However although it has served the desired purpose to a considerable extent, a great deal more is required to ensure constancy in its functioning, unaffected by shifts and changes in policies and programmes in various spheres of activity. This aspect will appear to have been taken due care of in the new bill, with a number of its provisions seeking to facilitate power generation through alternative or renewable energy sources, and providing for one window operation for launching energy projects based on wind, solar, micro-hydel, fuel cells, tidal, ocean, biogas and biomass.
Needless to point out, evidently taking note of all the prerequisites of desired strengthening of the Board, the bill will be seen to have laid due emphasis on the capabilities of its Chairman. This, of course, has also reference to the incumbent, necessarily, being an eminent engineering professional of known integrity, competence and expertise in so handling development projects as to meet the future energy needs. Again, a non-lapsable Alternative Energy Fund would be established, which should pave the way for purposeful development of alternative energy in the country.
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