Power transmission system to get Rs111bn investment in 3 years: energy minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said that an investment of Rs111billion will be made in the power transmission system to enhance it during the next three years.

During a question hour session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, the minister informed the house that the transmission line projects would be executed in various areas of the country.

He said that because of the power contracts signed by the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, the capacity payments have reached Rs800 billion. He said we have reduced the annual flow of circular debt from Rs450 billion to Rs130 billion.

Responding to a supplementary question, Azhar said both the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited have been directed to come up with a rehabilitation plan within a month for replacement of damaged pipelines. He said this plan will help address the issue of gas pressures.

At a question of Tahira Aurangzeb of the PML-N, which is not being replied and deferred for the past one year, Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Bokhari told the House that the ministry has written letters to the Registrar of the Supreme Court to get information but the reply was not received so far. “We cannot compel the apex court to give a reply.

However, the law secretary is in contact with the registrar in this regard.” She said that the information is not available in the ministry as setting up of Model Courts is not the initiative of the Federal Government.

She said that the Model Courts are administered by the Supreme Court of Pakistan; therefore, the Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Federal Judicial Academy have been requested, to provide the requisite information, vide this Division’s letters dated 7th February 2020, 26th February 2020, 1st April 2020, 29th April 2020, 3rd June 2020, 10th July 2020, 4th September 2020, 23rd November 2020, 21st January 2021, 19th February 2021, 5th April 2021, 14th June 2021, 2nd August 2021,30th August 2021, and 14th October 2021. Once the information is received the same will be provided to the National Assembly by this Division, she said.

In another reply, Maleeka Bokhari said the present government has initiated legal reforms to ensure just and expeditious disposal of civil and criminal cases.

She said we have also introduced legislation including the Code of Civil Procedure Amendment Act, Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act, the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act, and Legal Aid and Justice Authority Act.

She said the Ministry of Law and Justice has deliberated with relevant stakeholders and will soon introduce Criminal Law Reforms Bill to strengthen the criminal justice system.

In a written reply, Minister for Law and Justice Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem said that a total amount of Rs519.335billion has been recovered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on account of direct and indirect recoveries during the tenure of incumbent government.

He said that a total of Rs502.231 billion has been transferred to the respective government entities/beneficiaries and affectees of various scams. He said that the recovered amount is not utilised by the NAB.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021