The NWFP government has decided to get passed the amended version of the Hasba Bill during the forthcoming session of the provincial assembly, which is scheduled start from October 10.
Briefing the journalists on deliberations of the provincial cabinet, which held a brief meeting here on Saturday, NWFP information minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai said that the cabinet discussed the Supreme Court's decision against certain clauses of the Hasba Bill, and decided to file a review petition to get them incorporated into the bill.
The powers of Mohtasib, enshrined in clause 25 of the bill, were already being exercised by Mohtasibs of other provinces, he added.
Daudzai said the law minister briefed the cabinet about the Supreme Court's verdict against a section of the bill. "He was of the view that the deletion of main clauses had weakened the spirit of the law," Daudzai said.
The law minister told the cabinet that a new, but amended version of the bill was ready, which would be tabled in the coming session of the NWFP Assembly, he added.
The NWFP government, the information minister said, would give a subsidy of Rs 35 million on provision of flour to the people across the province.
Daudzai said under Ramazan package, the provincial government would distribute 15 million flour bags of 20 kilograms at 100 points of the province.
On every Sunday, MPAs would supervise distribution of flour bags in their respective constituencies.
He said the cabinet had also directed the officials of food department and the districts police to check the price lists and take action against the profiteers and black-marketeers across.
Daudzai informed the media men that the cabinet had also directed the buyers of the 11 million square feet timber to transport it by June 30 2006. He said that the cabinet had retained the imposition of Rs 20 forest duty on per square feet of timber, transported from Gilgit to the NWFP.
He said the cabinet had also approved the Bannu University of Science and Technology Bill which would be tabled during the next session of the assembly. The minister said Higher Education Commission (HEC) would provide a grant of Rs 500 million for the varsity project. "The provincial government had acquired 100 kanals for the varsity building," he added.
Daudzai said the cabinet had also advised the management of the Iqra, Khyber and Abaseen Universities, established in the private sector, to fulfill the academic standard set by the HEC, otherwise the provincial government would not permit them to operate in the province.
In the past, he said, the NWFP government had taken up the issue of Saidu and Gomal Medical Colleges with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and got it resolved.
The Higher Education Regulatory Authority, he said, would also look into the issue of private universities located in different parts of the province.
About relief measures in quake-hit north-eastern districts, he said the government has established the base camp in Abbottabad to monitor the relief activities in Mansehra, Batgram, Kohistan, Balakot, Garhi Habibullah, Shangla and other affected areas.
The federal government had dispatched six trucks loaded with medicines to Abbottabad, which would be distributed among the hospitals, the minister added.