For mayor’s powers: PPP woos opposition parties to reject MQM bill
Assembly adopts resolution to start first aid training in educational institutes
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement moved a bill on Tuesday to restore the Karachi Building Control Authority and put it under the control of the mayor of KMC. The assembly rejected the bill. PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI:
The Sindh Assembly turned down a private bill by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to restore the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) and put it under the control of the mayor of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
The private bill was jointly moved by Syed Khalid Ahmed, Moin Aamir Pirzada and Muhammad Iftikhar Alam.
Moving the bill, the MQM lawmakers demanded to restore KBCA’s earlier status, which was renamed Sindh Building Control Authority when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government amended the law in 2011 by shifting the organisation’s powers from the city mayor/nazim to the Sindh government and extended it jurisdiction to the entire province.
City governance: Mayor should head KWSB, says MQM bill
Ahmed said all buildings being constructed in the city should have the approval of the mayor as was the practice earlier. “The PPP government, by amending the law, has snatched this right from the elected mayor,” he said. Pirzada referred to Article 140-A of the Constitution which gives financial and administrative authority to local government (LG) representatives. “The incumbent government was not willing to hold the LG polls, but it was done on the orders of Supreme Court. If the newly elected mayor is not given powers, then we will again approach the apex court,” he said, demanding to give full powers to the mayor.
Suggesting an amendment to the law, he said, “Mayor of KMC shall act as the chairperson of KBCA.” As the bill was moved in the House, PPP and MQM lawmakers began to call their colleagues from the lobby. Both parties had an almost equal number of members after which all eyes turned to lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League(PML)-Nawaz and PML-F.
Slip of tongue
Interestingly, speaker Agha Siraj Durrani initially decided in favour of the MQM motion, saying “ayes have it, ayes have it and..” The MQM lawmakers stood up in jubilation following which Durrani said, “no no… no’s have it, no’s have it and the bill is rejected.”
Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan then said “This means the bill has now passed,” to which Durrani replied “Humans always make errors and it was nothing but a slip of tongue.”
Hasan then insisted to start a head count and claimed the opposition members have a majority. In the meantime, a few PPP members went to the PML-F and PML-N benches to convince them to vote against the bill. Following their discussion, the two parties’ members agreed to support the PPP and thus the bill was rejected.
During the session, the assembly also adopted a resolution to start first aid training in all schools and colleges in Sindh. The resolution, which passed unanimously, was moved by PPP MPA Saira Shehliani.
Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2016.
The Sindh Assembly turned down a private bill by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to restore the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) and put it under the control of the mayor of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
The private bill was jointly moved by Syed Khalid Ahmed, Moin Aamir Pirzada and Muhammad Iftikhar Alam.
Moving the bill, the MQM lawmakers demanded to restore KBCA’s earlier status, which was renamed Sindh Building Control Authority when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government amended the law in 2011 by shifting the organisation’s powers from the city mayor/nazim to the Sindh government and extended it jurisdiction to the entire province.
City governance: Mayor should head KWSB, says MQM bill
Ahmed said all buildings being constructed in the city should have the approval of the mayor as was the practice earlier. “The PPP government, by amending the law, has snatched this right from the elected mayor,” he said. Pirzada referred to Article 140-A of the Constitution which gives financial and administrative authority to local government (LG) representatives. “The incumbent government was not willing to hold the LG polls, but it was done on the orders of Supreme Court. If the newly elected mayor is not given powers, then we will again approach the apex court,” he said, demanding to give full powers to the mayor.
Suggesting an amendment to the law, he said, “Mayor of KMC shall act as the chairperson of KBCA.” As the bill was moved in the House, PPP and MQM lawmakers began to call their colleagues from the lobby. Both parties had an almost equal number of members after which all eyes turned to lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League(PML)-Nawaz and PML-F.
Slip of tongue
Interestingly, speaker Agha Siraj Durrani initially decided in favour of the MQM motion, saying “ayes have it, ayes have it and..” The MQM lawmakers stood up in jubilation following which Durrani said, “no no… no’s have it, no’s have it and the bill is rejected.”
Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan then said “This means the bill has now passed,” to which Durrani replied “Humans always make errors and it was nothing but a slip of tongue.”
Hasan then insisted to start a head count and claimed the opposition members have a majority. In the meantime, a few PPP members went to the PML-F and PML-N benches to convince them to vote against the bill. Following their discussion, the two parties’ members agreed to support the PPP and thus the bill was rejected.
During the session, the assembly also adopted a resolution to start first aid training in all schools and colleges in Sindh. The resolution, which passed unanimously, was moved by PPP MPA Saira Shehliani.
Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2016.