K-P govt draws opposition’s flak over budget
K-P Assembly approves six demands worth Rs7.71b
File photo of K-P Assembly. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR:
The provincial government and the performance of various departments came under heavy criticism from the opposition benches who presented their cut motions during the post-budget session on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the assembly approved six demands worth Rs7.710 billion.
As the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly resumed the post-budget session on Wednesday, opposition members started presenting their cut motions to the budget.
However, Awami National Party (ANP) Parliamentary Leader Sardar Hussain Babak, along with other opposition members including Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan’s (MMAP) Inyatullah and Naeema Kishawar, Rehana Ismail, Samar Bilour and others raised concerns over the problems in booking rooms at the K-P house in Islamabad – which had been sealed owing to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) fears. They demanded that they should be allocated special blocks.
They further demanded that as members of the provincial assembly, they have to keep on working during the pandemic while per K-P Assembly rules, they should be provided with a special stipend for their work.
The opposition members also expressed their concerns on being ignored by the government when allocating money for development funds, especially women MPAs. As an example, they pointed to a scheme for Dir which has been pending for years while schemes listed in the annual development programme (ADP) received funds.
The opposition benches also raised questions over the performances of the finance and planning departments.
Raising concerns over delays in completing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the provincial capital, opposition members lamented that it has been pending for three years even though the provincial government had claimed to complete it in just six months. They further alleged that additional funds have now been allocated for this project.
They further said that billions have been spent on the Swat Expressway but just six months after a section was open-ended to the public, it started developing cracks.
Expressing concerns on the performance of the education department, the lawmakers said that it costs Rs3.2 million to build a room in a public school. They added that the parents and teachers council has been receiving money but have no tangible output to show for it.
Further, they pointed to the plight of students in many parts of K-P who do not have internet connections to continue their studies. They said that many promising projects were included in the budget by the government but nothing has been done on the ground.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2020.
The provincial government and the performance of various departments came under heavy criticism from the opposition benches who presented their cut motions during the post-budget session on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the assembly approved six demands worth Rs7.710 billion.
As the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly resumed the post-budget session on Wednesday, opposition members started presenting their cut motions to the budget.
However, Awami National Party (ANP) Parliamentary Leader Sardar Hussain Babak, along with other opposition members including Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan’s (MMAP) Inyatullah and Naeema Kishawar, Rehana Ismail, Samar Bilour and others raised concerns over the problems in booking rooms at the K-P house in Islamabad – which had been sealed owing to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) fears. They demanded that they should be allocated special blocks.
They further demanded that as members of the provincial assembly, they have to keep on working during the pandemic while per K-P Assembly rules, they should be provided with a special stipend for their work.
The opposition members also expressed their concerns on being ignored by the government when allocating money for development funds, especially women MPAs. As an example, they pointed to a scheme for Dir which has been pending for years while schemes listed in the annual development programme (ADP) received funds.
The opposition benches also raised questions over the performances of the finance and planning departments.
Raising concerns over delays in completing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the provincial capital, opposition members lamented that it has been pending for three years even though the provincial government had claimed to complete it in just six months. They further alleged that additional funds have now been allocated for this project.
They further said that billions have been spent on the Swat Expressway but just six months after a section was open-ended to the public, it started developing cracks.
Expressing concerns on the performance of the education department, the lawmakers said that it costs Rs3.2 million to build a room in a public school. They added that the parents and teachers council has been receiving money but have no tangible output to show for it.
Further, they pointed to the plight of students in many parts of K-P who do not have internet connections to continue their studies. They said that many promising projects were included in the budget by the government but nothing has been done on the ground.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2020.