Elahi comes down hard on agricultural varsities

Opposition criticises chief minister for absence from assembly session

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi came down hard on agricultural universities after the provincial food minister informed the house on Monday that the target of cotton production could not be met this year.

During a debate on cotton production, Speaker Elahi said neither the agricultural universities nor the government seemed serious on issues which the agriculture sector was facing.

“It seems the agricultural universities are doing nothing,” said Speaker Elahi. “Comparatively, India has good seeds of rice but our agricultural universities failed in producing seeds of international standard.”

Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial claimed that a deal made with international companies by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for seeds research and development had been cancelled. Over not meeting the cotton target, he said the province had not received required level of rains.

Speaker Elahi offered to organise the meeting with companies if the government was serious in developing seeds.

PML-N’s Awais Laghari said the agriculture department did nothing for the production of the seeds. However, he said, it might also be possible that the sugar mafia was behind lack of development of cotton seeds.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Hassan Murtaza lashed out at the absence of the chief minister from the assembly session.

He stressed that the burial of the coronavirus victims be carried out in an honourable way and said people could be permitted to offer funeral prayers while by strictly following the government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs).

PML-N leaders Rana Mashood and Azma Zahid Bukhari criticised the delay in launch of the Orange Line train project. Azma said Rs40 fare for the train service would not be affordable for the people.

PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Ahmed said the project would meet its expenses in 20 years. Khawaja Imran Nazir said subsidy should be given on the project and concessional cards issued to senior citizens, students and poor people.

Provincial Law Minister Basharat Raja said more than Rs191 billion had been spent on the Orange Line project. The expenses will reach Rs200 billion when this project is completed.

The session started after a delay of an hour and 40 minutes. There was a thin attendance of legislators in the session held at a hotel to ensure social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus. After completing the agenda items, the House was adjourned.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.