Bill on Khasadar force sails through K-P Assembly

Extension of research officers’ tenure also on the cards

PESHAWAR:

The provincial assembly on Friday passed a bill which will regularise all temporary Khasadar forces who were either being paid a partial salary or honorarium.

Despite being a public holiday, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly resumed on Friday morning. Social Welfare Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan tabled the Khasadar Forces Amendment Bill 2020 and the Local Government Ordinance (amendment) Bill 2020.

Under the former, those who had been standing in for Khasadar forces and rendering duties as proxy and were being paid, even partially for it, will be regularised in the force.

Under the Local Government Ordinance (amendment) Bill 2020, the population restrictions of village councils have been defined. The amended law says that a village council and neighbourhood council will not be larger than 5,000 people and 15,000 people respectively.

These councils will be delimited as per the 2017 population census.

If elections for a Tehsil Council chairman are not held for any tehsil, then the slot in the provincial finance commission will be filled by a nominee of the chief minister.

Under the amended bill, the number of village and neighbourhood councils in South Waziristan have been increased from 82 and 97 to 91 and 106 respectively. This means that the number of village councils has increased from 4,203 to 4,212, and neighbourhood councils from 3,624 to 3,633 in the province.More time for researchers

The provincial government on Friday introduced a calling-to-attention notice in the provincial assembly to extend the tenure of research officers in any department from three to four years.

MPA from the treasury benches Ayesha Bano introduced the notice in the assembly, stating that research officers are transferred from one department to another within a very short period and that it should be extended to at least four years.

Responding to the notice, K-P Food Minister Qalander Lodhi said that the rules of business showed that the tenure of a research officer in one department was two years after which they are transferred.

In another call-to-attention noticed by a ruling party member, minorities member Ranjit Singh said that the government has announced a five per cent quota for minorities in all departments but a few departments do not heed government directives.

Responding to Singh’s query, Food Minister Lodhi said that all departments needed to implement the quota. Provincial Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said that the provincial government has issued clear guidelines and directives to all departments that they should observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for inducting minorities into their departments.Load shedding

Members of the treasury and opposition benches in the K-P assembly on Friday raised their joint voices against the prolonged, unannounced load-shedding in the province.

As the session resumed on Friday with Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan in the chair, Awami National Party (ANP) MPA from Swat Waqar Ahmed said that a high-tension power cable fell on some labourers in the district, leaving them severely injured. He demanded that all rustic wires should be changed immediately.

He added that the prime minister had announced relief in paying utility bills but the public keep receiving heavy bills which they cannot bear.

Fazal-e-Elahi from the treasury benches said that the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) continues unannounced and unscheduled load-shedding in the province adding that due to the company’s negligence its lines have been cut while they do not pay any heed to public issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2020.