ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Government Assurance summoned the chairman and managing director (MD) of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) in its next meeting.

The committee met with Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar in the chair at the Parliament House on Tuesday.

The committee discussed the issues relating to the honoraria of the PTV employees, and establishing and the quality of services on M-1 motorway and M-4 Motorway.

The committee directed the PTV chairman and the MD to attend the next meeting in person.

The standing committee was informed that the PTV was not paying honoraria to its employees as per announcement made by the Minister for Finance in the Parliament during budget-20-21 session.

The meeting was told that the PTV was denying paying honoraria to some of the employees on the basis of their seniority, whereas the government did not discriminate between the seniors and juniors.

Similarly, it was brought to the notice of the standing committee that struggles were being made to grant honoraria to those employees of the PTV, who did not serve in the Budget Sessions of the National Assembly.

So, the standing committee directed that all of the lists be verified through original record of the PTV and in case of any discrepancy the responsible should be dealt with as per the law.

The standing committee directed that all genuine and rightful employees be given honoraria without further delay.

While discussing the issue of M-1 and M-4, the committee recommended that the National Highways Authority (NHA) needs to improve the quality of services at M-1 Motorway and M-4 Motorway.

The standing committee was apprised that the NHA had not provided the facilities of restaurant on M-4, due to which the travelers were facing serious problems.

Moreover, the committee was informed that at Shorkot, every motor has to leave motorway for paying toll tax, and thereafter, every motor has to again drive in to the motorway.

Due to such bad situation the travellers are facing serious difficulties.

The NHA explained that previously there were two contractors due to which every traveller was to leave the motorway at Shorkot Interchange.

But, now they have addressed the issue, and the situation will be better in the days to come.

The standing committee directed that the issue may be addressed within 10 days and a compliance report may be furnished to the standing committee.

The standing committee was apprised that the facilities of rest areas and restaurants are also in very poor condition on M-1.

The standing committee directed that the facilities may also be improved on M-1.

Members National Assembly Mujahid Ali, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Khalid Hussain Khan Magsi, Shahnaz Naseer Baloch, Chaudhary Armghan Subhani, Usman Ibrahim, Syed Javed Hasnain, Muahmmad Afzal Khokhar, Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Saira Bano, and Sher Akbar Khan, MNA/mover senior civil officers from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry of Communications, the National Highways Authority, and the Capital Development Authority, attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020