ISLAMABAD: The upper house of the parliament, Monday, passed the Factories (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Federal Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022—both moved by Seemee Ezdi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The two private-member bills were earlier passed by the relevant standing committees.
The Factories (Amendment) Bill 2022 aims to amend the Factories Act 1934 to bar the factory owners from “throwing any amount of untreated wet waste directly into the rivers.”
The statement of objects and reasons of this bill states, “In our country, rivers are being polluted at an alarming speed. Almost all factories in Pakistan mainly comprised of food and beverage, textile, crockery, paper printing, cement, publishing, chemical, rubber and leather products have been releasing a diverse range of untreated waste into their nearby natural drains.
Wastewater treatment is necessary for allowing it to mix with other water bodies that are used for irrigation, drinking and other purposes.”
Only eight per cent of the country’s total municipal wastewater and one per cent of the industrial wastewaters are treated before they are discharged into the rivers, the statement says.
“Such pollutants have very long-lasting effects on the sustainability of local ecosystems and pose a serious threat to human health. Industrial wastewaters contain many hazardous organic compounds and inorganic compounds like heavy metals which can cause damage to delicate aquatic ecosystems,” it adds.
The bill proposes relevant amendments in the existing law “so that individuals and factory owners may be stopped from throwing any amount of untreated wet waste directly into the rivers.”
The Federal Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022; another bill passed by the house moved by Ezdi, seeks amending the Federal Universities Ordinance 2002. It provides for making the mandatory internships part of the curriculum in all the disciplines of federal universities.
“Internships are beneficial because they help develop one’s professional aptitude, strengthen personal character, and provide a greater door to opportunity.
By investing in internships, one gives himself the broadest spectrum of opportunity when seeking and applying for a job after college or university,” reads the statement of objects and reasons of the bill.
The bill seeks amendments in the existing law aiming at “providing powers to the academic council to prioritise a practical learning, requiring all students to partake in some sort of internship experience. This will give students options to get experiential learning opportunity that offers an invaluable edge before they even graduate.”
Meanwhile, different senators, especially those from the opposition, lambasted the federal government over recent surge in fuel prices.
“Yesterday, there was an economic genocide of the masses,” deplored Opposition Leader Dr Shahzad Waseem.
Mushtaq Ahmed Khan from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) strongly criticised the rulers for “making it beyond the reach of common man to buy flour.”
He also strongly criticised the country’s security apparatus for Peshawar terrorist attack. “It seems that our security institutions and intelligence agencies have failed,” he deplored.
Food Security Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said, “My heart bleeds— when I see people in long queues waiting to get flour.”
Asif Kirmani from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI’s Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur strongly protested over what they said were the “insulting remarks” made by Hidayatullah Khan from Awami National Party (ANP) against Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Some new bills were moved in the house and referred to the relevant committees. They were: Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill 2023, Pakistan Halal Authority (Amendment) Bill 2022, Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022, Christian Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2023 and National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill 2023.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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