Flurry activities of Senate bodies witnessed

With the beginning on a new parliamentary year in the Senate, a flurry of activities in the Standing Committees have been noticed. Two parliamentary committees met on Thursday; while two more a day earlier as well as on Monday.
However, one must give credit to the Senate Committees because in their deliberations they have focused on activities of central government in the provinces.
As an illustration we might mention the meeting of the Senate body on Communications which met on Thursday, under former Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Minister Kamil Ali Agha, who chairs the Committee, and expressed its dissatisfaction with poor repair work at Mekran coast, in Balochistan, after the coast was badly damaged during the flash floods last July.
The Standing Committee directed the National Highways Authority (NHA) to submit a comprehensive report on the floods and proceed further to remove structural flaws during construction. At the same time, it ruled that the NHA must also be quick about carrying out rehabilitation. The Committee took up scant hydrological data, perhaps as a reason for the colossal loss. Thus a correct date must be gathered and necessary adjustments made. Another issue, of employment of local workers was also pushed ahead as a measure to remove the sense of deprivation among the local people.
The committee also demanded information on the findings of the Prime Minister's Inspection Commission (PMIC) that had conducted enquiry in the collapse of Shershah Bridge in Karachi.
Earlier, Secretary Ministry of Communications gave a briefing on the damages caused to Gwadar-Karachi Coastal Highway as well as the progress of the enquiry on collapse of Shershah Bridge in Karachi. He said that a severe cyclone hit the Mekran Coast in June last year. He said the maximum impact of the flood was felt on Ormara-Pasni section of Mekran Coastal Highway.
Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Dr Muhammad Ismail Buledi and Senator Liaquat Ali Bangulzai as mover were present in the meeting.