Licence for marketing of flare gas: Ogra submits summary to ECC for guidelines

ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was informed that the Ogra had submitted its summary to the ECC for seeking guidelines for grant of licenses to the companies for marketing of flare gas. The committee met with MNA Kishwar Zehra in the chair at the Parliament Lodges Islamabad Tuesday.

The Member Gas informed the committee that a Cabinet Committee on Energy under the Minister for Planning and Development had formulated guidelines for the gas companies to meet the shortage of gas during the current winter season.

He informed that role of the Ogra was confined to facilitation in respect of grant of licenses to the gas companies.

Responding to the question of a member of the committee, he informed that the Ogra had submitted its summary to the ECC for seeking guidelines for grant of licenses to the companies for marketing of flare gas.

The committee, while discussing the Pakistan Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020, decided to proposed further discussion till its next meeting.

The committee also directed the Cabinet Division and the PPRA to examine the amendments proposed by a member of the Committee.

Apprising the committee about the proposed amendments, Ali Nawaz Awan, MNA informed that his amendments were in consonance with the PPRA Act, and a mechanism had been provided for an independent governing board.

The committee decided to have a briefing on the shortage of petrol and report of the FIA, thereon, in its next meeting.

Earlier, the chairman and Member Gas Ogra apprised the committee about the shortage of gas and the role of the authority in that regard.

While discussing the Constitutional Amendment Bills moved by Alia Kamran and Salahuddin Ayubi, the committee asked the Establishment Division to pursue the convening of the Cabinet Committee on Disposal of Legislative cases for decision on amendment bills.

The committee also adopted the report of the Sub-Committee of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat appointed under Convenership of MNA Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, MNA regarding leakage of paper of the NTS exam in District Lower Dir.

The committee directed for sending the recommendations to the relevant departments for implementation.

Apprising the committee about the finding of the sub-committee, the convener informed that after thorough deliberation and discussing the issue referred to the committee, it is recommended that the initial testing of the candidates aspirant to become government servants should be assigned to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) subject to strengthening of the Commission with required human resource and financial resources.

He further informed that the NTS was subjected to mismanagement due to which test papers were leaked before the tests were held.

He also informed that the sub-committee had recommended inquiry into the whole issue by the FIA.

The committee meeting was attended by Minister In-charge for Cabinet Secretariat Ali Muhammad Khan, MNAs: Saleem Rehman, Ali Nawaz Awan, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, Muhammad Aslam Khan, Uzma Riaz, Rasheed Ahmad Khan, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Shahnaz Saleem Malik, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Syed Mehmood Shah, Mohsin Dawar, senior officers from the Cabinet and Establishment divisions, and other concerned departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020