Senate body defers discussion on power bill

The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Wednesday deferred discussion on 'the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2019.'

The discussion was deferred due to absence of Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, the mover of the bill, which calls for giving nomination power of members from provinces solely to the respective provinces. Chairperson Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Uzma Adil told the committee that license issuance criteria for opening CNG/LNG stations is same for all provinces and there is a fixed process for taking license of CNG stations. The criterion of converting gas stations to petrol pumps was also told to be requiring an NOC and permit from OGRA. She said that after gas shortages many gas stations converted themselves to petrol pumps but this process is duly monitored by OGRA.

The committee was assured by the chairperson OGRA that gas stations or petrol pumps non-compliant with the conditions will be given time for redressal and report will be submitted in three weeks. It was also told that petrol pumps can only be opened in the province where a certain oil marketing company has a storage facility.

Regarding regularization of contractual medical staff at Cardiac Centre, PIMS, the committee recommended that till regularization process completes, the contractual employees whose cases are under consideration should get extension in contract till December 2020. The committee was surprised to know that a very well qualified and competent cardiac surgeon was rejected when interviewed by FPSC for regularization and in all this process, he crossed the maximum age limit making him ineligible for selection. The committee directed all the relevant stakeholders to work out the modalities if any way out can be made for review of the decision.

While discussing the amendments made in rule 11(i) of the qualifying criteria of CSS examinations 2013 and 2014 by FPSC without seeking approval of the competent authority, the committee was told by Establishment Division that in the report prepared by FIA no malafide intention has been found and it was just negligence.

It was told that the rules have already been validated after discussion by the National Assembly's committee and if the affected candidates are accommodated, the number can go to as many as 250 when taken in consolidation of all the years that have now passed since 2013 exams. The committee decided to forward the petitions received by the committee till date of affected candidates to FPSC to review them and make a decision. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood here at the Parliament House on Wednesday and was attended among others by Senators Najma Hameed, Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Dr Ashok Kumar, Seemi Aezdi, Samina Saeed, Dr Asad Ashraf, Anwar Lal Deen, and Mushtaq Ahmed, secretary Establishment Division, secretary National Health Services, secretary FPSC, chairperson OGRA, executive director PIMS and officials from FIA and Ministry of Law.