Two laws passed: K-P Development Authority shut down

All assets and liabilities transferred to a public limited company

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly on Tuesday passed the ‘K-P Taking Over of the Industrial Estates or Economic Zones Act, 2016’, a law shutting the K-P Development Authority (K-PDA) or the former Sarhad Development Authority (SDA).

The house also passed the ‘K-P Ad-hoc Employees of Directorate of Information Technology (Regularization of Services) Act, 2016’.

The former law transfers all assets, properties, liabilities and employees of K-PDA to a public limited company ‘K-P Economic Zones Development and Management Company’ (K-PEZDMC).

The government abolished the K-PDA, set up in 1972 via an act, in July by issuing an ordinance titled, ‘K-P Taking Over of the Industrial Estates or Economic Zones Ordinance, 2016.’

The law minister also tabled the ‘K-P Public Private Partnership Amendment Act 2016’, a bill aimed at making changes in five sections of the K-P Public Private Partnership Act, 2014. The bill removes a schedule attached to the Act identifying sectors for infrastructure development in which the government may concede contracts. The removal of the schedule allows government departments to enter into concession contracts under the Public-Private Partnership in all sectors.

The bill amends the Section-9 of the Act, making it mandatory for the contracting authority — government entity — to seek the chief minister’s approval for projects costing more than Rs500 million if it wishes to do them in public-private partnership, while, for projects costing up to Rs500, the contracting authority shall decide the mode of its implementation under the PPP Act or else.

The bill also states that the chief executive officer of the K-P Board of Investment and Trade shall be the member of the Public-Private Partnership Committee.

During the question-answer session, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Fakhare Azam Khan sought details of saplings planted in the province under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ‘Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation’ project. According to the written answer submitted by the environment department, over 93.5 million saplings were planted in 28 forest divisions.

Fakhare Azam said that the project was limited to social media, especially Facebook, where PTI supporters created a hype about the project. Special assistant to the CM on Environment Muhammad Ishtiaq Urmar offered to arrange a trip for those interested to see progress in the project.

According to the special assistant to CM, the provincial government bought a Unit Nursery spread over a three-Kanal area at a cost ranging between Rs150,000 and Rs180,000 from private sector.

Most items on the day’s agenda lapsed because of the absence of lawmakers concerned, while the deputy speaker of the house, who chaired the sitting, adjourned the session citing lack of quorum. Members of the opposition shouted slogans of ‘shame-shame’, pointing out the empty treasury bench seats.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2016.