Sindh Assembly: Lawmaker slams minister over calling special persons ‘poor’

KARACHI: Opposition’s lady legislator in Sindh Assembly rebuked the ruling party’s minister for calling the special persons ‘poor’ during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday.

Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, a GDA female lawmaker took exception to Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla’s disrespect to the special persons.

Chawla while replying to queries regarding his department’s performance called the special persons poor. His disregard stirred up Nusrat Sehar Abbasi to rebuke the minister for his remarks.

She made him apologize to the house for his unbecoming remarks that sent a disrespectful message to the special persons in the society.

Chawla also acknowledged that his government has failed to compile the exact data of special persons living in the province. He said the concerned department will complete the data accumulation by coming June.

Two propositions came to the house for the betterment of special persons: one from Shahana Ashar of MQM for setting up a mechanism on the union council levels and second from Suhrab Sarki of PPP for a rehabilitation centre in his constituency.

The minister appreciated both proposals. Adeeba Hassan of the PTI pointed out to the house about the growing domestic violence against women. She asked the concerned minister of its performance on reducing the crime and punishment.

Shehla Raza, Sindh Women Development Department complained about the short staff she has to carry on dealing with the issues like domestic violence against women and then accepted the fact that the nuance is on the rise.

She said her department takes notices and carries out its responsibility on cases filed with the police against the torturing of women physically. However, she made it clear that sentencing the violence perpetrators is the job of courts.

The department provides medical care and legal assistance to the violence victims, she told the house that her staff cannot inquire each individual by visiting their home to know whether violence has happened. The department, she said, has lately handled the case of Kavita Kumari.

GDA lawmaker Abdul Razzaq Rahmo raised the issue of 60 percent RO plants dysfunctional in Thar region, saying that people are making exodus with the rising mercury level.

Mir Shabbir Ali Bijarani, the concerned minister accepted that two mega RO plants are also dysfunctional, saying that tenders have been floated for the maintenance and repair of the plants.

He said he will share a report with the assembly once he receives regarding the RO plants in Tharparkar. All the plants will be made workable, he added.

Two reports from concerned standing committees on different bills were also presented in the house.

The first was about The Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship Bill 2020 while the other was on The Sindh Trusts (Amendment) Bill 2021. The house adopted both bills into law.

The house also readopted The Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Bill 2021 into law after the governor returned it to house with some proposals without giving it assent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021