Punjab PA passes 12 bills amid opposition’s protest

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly on Monday passed twelve bills on Monday amid opposition’s protest.

The bills include Punjab Alternate Dispute Resolution (Amendment) Bill 2025, Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying (Amendment) Bill 2025, Probation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2025, Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority Bill 2025, Punjab Protected Areas (Amendment) Bill 2025, as recommended by Standing Committee on Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and ?Management) (Amendment) Bill 2025, Punjab Water and Sanitation Authority Bill 2025, Defence Housing Authority Rawalpindi (Amendment) Bill 2025, Punjab Establishment of Special Courts (Overseas Pakistanis Property) Bill 2025, Punjab Tianjin University of Technology Lahore (Amendment) Bill 2025, Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology Dera Ghazi Khan (Amendment) Bill 2025, and Punjab University of Technology Rasul (Amendment) Bill 2025.

The bills were presented by senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb and minister parliamentary affairs Mian Mujtaba Shuja–Ur-Rehman.

Meanwhile, opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan Bachhar, has strongly criticized the ruling party for passing 12 bills without proper notice to opposition members. Speaking to the media outside the assembly, Bachhar questioned the haste with which the government was pushing through legislation.

He highlighted that only 52 members were present in the assembly when the bills were passed, despite the required quorum not being met. He pointed out that the ruling party, despite holding a numerical majority, was resorting to such tactics, demonstrating their weakness.

Bachhar further criticised the assembly proceedings, calling them “bulldozed.” He emphasised the importance of parliamentary norms and the need for the speaker to consider amendments proposed by the opposition. He lamented that all 12 bills were passed without any consideration for their amendments.

Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, while responding to questions regarding the Department of Environmental Protection in the Punjab Assembly session, stated that the mapping of kilns and industries in Punjab has been carried out under a unified principle. She mentioned that strict actions are being taken against kilns that have not transitioned to zigzag technology, including the demolition of 23 kilns and sealing of 46 in Toba Tek Singh. Surveillance is being conducted across Punjab through drones.

Aurangzeb further stated that the Chief Minister of Punjab has taken immediate steps for the eradication of smog and environmental protection. In Multan, 131 kilns were demolished, while 136 kilns were sealed. The Punjab government has provided easy instalment loans to over 80 factories for the installation of emission control systems and has organised capacity-building sessions for kiln owners.

She announced that an interest-free scheme will be introduced to fully and permanently transition kilns to zigzag technology. Additionally, a fine of 50 million rupees has been imposed on factories, and 24 tire-burning units in North Lahore have been sealed. The electricity of these units has also been suspended, and their monitoring is being done through CCTV and ‘Hawk Eye’.

Maryam Aurangzeb mentioned that the Punjab Environmental Tribunal is handling environmental cases, and WASA Faisalabad is taking notices regarding pumping check water and working on these cases. Furthermore, permanent arrangements are being made for 37 units, which will only become functional after the installation of a waste treatment system.

She also noted that the Punjab government has increased the budget for environmental protection from 50 Crore to 17 billion rupees, and all departments are working together to address environmental challenges.

Earlier, Finance Minister while opening the post budget discussion in the Punjab Assembly emphasized that a strong economy is the top priority of their government. They are focusing on non-essential expenditures and resource utilization to ensure financial stability. The government’s priority is economic recovery, and they are investing in social protection and economic growth.

Mujtaba said that there has been a significant increase in revenue, and a substantial amount has been allocated to development projects in this quarter, aimed at improving the welfare of the people.

He also said a system has been established to monitor all financial matters to maintain transparency. This success is a result of public trust and collective efforts.

While sharing the details of all grants and departmental expenditures Mujtaba said expenditures for the second quarter (October to December) exceeded 756.9 billion rupees. Expenditures are in line with the predetermined priorities of the budget. Non-development expenditures include pensions, salaries, and various government projects.

He said that over 103.9 billion rupees were spent on pensions and more than 129 billion rupees on salaries. More than 950 billion rupees were spent on agriculture and 19 billion rupees on health. Efforts continue for the public through subsidies and other public welfare projects.

The government has allocated 8.5 billion rupees for the ‘Apna Ghar Apni Chhat’ program, 875 million rupees for the minority card program, 1 billion rupees for the Dhe Rani program, 2.6 billion rupees for the ‘Clinic on Wheels’ program, 9.5 billion rupees for the Green Tractor Scheme, and 1.13 billion rupees for the Livestock Card. The Minister of Finance has allocated two days for the post-budget discussion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025