Arms makers being provided uninterrupted power supply: National Assembly informed

The government is providing uninterrupted power supply to arms manufacturers while blackouts are a matter of routine in residential areas of the industrial units. During the question hour, Federal Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain informed the National Assembly on Wednesday the government is trying to provide uninterrupted power supply to Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Heavy Industries Taxila, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works and National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation Haripur.
"We are trying to install solar systems in some of the ordnance factories as well to ensure smooth power supply," he said, adding that the NRTC has already installed a 100KVA solar system which partially meets the corporation's requirements. The minister said that Heavy Industries Taxila is evaluating numerous proposals for setting up solar and geo-thermal units without drawing on government resources by relying on viable public private partnership model.
At Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, all technical feeders have continuous supply whereas domestic feeders are subjected to routine load-shedding, he said, adding that no alternate energy scheme like solar has been installed so far in premises of the complex.
To another question, he also informed the House that after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, it is the responsibility of Provincial governments to evolve a foolproof mechanism to check and control the sale of sub-standard food products.
He said all the provincial governments except Sindh have already established food authorities to address such issues. He pointed out that Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority has the mandate to monitor the quality of products. He said that the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) cancelled licenses of 35 Bottled Drinking Water Units for not meeting the quality standards. He said 12 units in South Region and 26 units seized in North Region while warnings have been issued through notices and print media.
He said that most of the Beverage industrial units in North Region (Riaz Bottles pvt Lahore, Sun Rise Bottlers Lahore, Haidery Beverages Rawalpindi, Coka Cola etc) are in litigation; cases are pending in Supreme Court of Pakistan as well as High Court. The Question Hour was in progress when the House was adjourned in respect of the demise of sitting MNA Rai Mansab Ali Khan.
The members paid homage to political and literary services of the senior parliamentarian and offered Fateha for the departed soul. In their separate messages, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi also expressed sorrow and condolences over the demise of veteran politician Rai Mansab Ali Khan who breathed his last on Wednesday.