Senate panel voices concern over PSM theft

Questions charging infrastructure and privatisation plans

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production on Friday expressed concern over rising theft incidents at the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), Pakistan's largest industrial unit that has been non-functional for over a decade.

During a briefing, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Pakistan Steel Mills informed the committee, chaired by Senator Khalida Ateeq, that theft incidents at the mill were increasing and that three inquiries into the theft cases were still under way.

The CEO said the management requested the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to cooperate in ensuring early completion of the inquiries.

Senator Anusha Rehman criticized the pace of the investigations, saying officials received salaries worth hundreds of thousands of rupees but claimed they lacked manpower whenever they were asked to perform their duties.

"When details of their salaries are presented, it appears as if everyone is working, yet they cannot complete even one inquiry," she remarked, adding that the committee might have to constitute its own sub-committee to examine the matter.

The committee also discussed industrial and electric vehicle policies.

During the meeting, the secretary for industries and production said tariff, tax and duty structures were part of the government's industrial policy.

Senator Anusha Rehman, however, observed that the FBR often overruled such policy measures through the Finance Act.

The secretary informed the committee that the government's target was to manufacture 2.2 million electric vehicles. He said 12,800 new energy vehicles had been produced during the current year.

Officials further informed the committee that the government was providing subsidies directly into the accounts of 80,000 motorcycle owners, while 5,700 electric bikes had already been distributed.

Senator Saleem Mandviwalla directed that members of the Privatisation Commission be invited to the committee's next meeting. He observed that discussions on the privatization of the PSM had been continuing for years without any visible progress.

Referring to theft at the steel mills, Mandviwalla questioned how truckloads of material could be taken away without accountability.

He also highlighted the inadequate charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, recounting the experience of an individual who travelled to Lahore in an electric vehicle but struggled to locate a charging station.

Mandviwalla asked officials to provide complete data on the number of companies manufacturing electric vehicles in Pakistan. Senator Rehman also questioned officials over the absence of charging facilities, remarking that they were unaware even of the locations of charging points in Lahore.

The secretary for industries and production admitted that he did not know the exact number or locations of charging stations in Lahore. During the discussion, Senator Danesh Kumar asked how many electric vehicles had so far entered the country. Industries ministry officials replied that around 9,000 electric vehicles had so far been introduced in Pakistan.

Senator Rehman further asked whether the government had held discussions with petroleum companies on establishing charging stations at fuel pumps, observing that installing a charging port should not be a complicated task.