Assembly session: Private schools, Dilkash Lahore face Alaudin’s wrath
Subsidy to Lahore buses draws Naulatia’s ire.
LAHORE:
The opposition in the Punjab Assembly (PA) lashed out at the Punjab government’s policy to run subsidised buses in Lahore while the other districts are not facilitated in such a manner.
The assembly session, chaired by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, started at 10:48am. Parliamentary Secretary Khurram Gulfam answered questions about Transport Department during the question hour.
PPP’s MPA Ehsanul Haq Naulatia, speaking on a supplementary question, railed against some stats provided by the Punjab government. The government had said, previously, that 348 buses were being run in Lahore under the Lahore Transport Company. The government had added that it had awarded each bus a subsidy of Rs1.25 million and 25 per cent equity financing.
Naulatia questioned the subsidy and asked why other districts were not getting the same treatment.
The minister said people in South Punjab had to wait hours for a single bus while the “Mayor of Lahore” had fielded 348 subsidised buses in Lahore. He said this was clear injustice to the people of Punjab.
The speaker warned the member not to call Shahbaz Sharif, the “Mayor of Lahore”. The member, however, did not stop. Speaker Khan warned Naulatia again and said he would be banned from the house if he did not heed the warning.
Unification Bloc leader Sheikh Alauddin, on a point of order, demanded that private schools should be stopped from collecting exorbitant fees from students. He said that some private school owners had established schools in houses in posh areas and were charging fees that ran into thousands of rupees.
He said that if a shopkeeper overcharges for meat the government arrests him but refused to take action against the management of private schools.
Alauddin asked the speaker to order action on this matter. He apprehended that the upcoming bill would actually provide cover to private schools who were raising their fees instead of trying to control them.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah admitted that the bill was not perfect. Sanaullah suggested that once the bill was introduced it could be amended.
Alauddin said the private schools ‘mafia’ had drafted the bill. The speaker asked him to wait and pursue Sanaullah’s recommendation.
Amna Ulfat, on a point of order, criticised private medical colleges and said they were ‘looting’ students who could not get admission in public colleges.
Alauddin, speaking on another point of order, expressed anger at Dilkash Lahore for removing bill boards from The Mall.
He said Dilkash Lahore had ignored the areas in front of the Lahore High Court and were only making things difficult for the business community. He asked the speaker to intervene.
The speaker adjourned the session till Monday evening.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.
The opposition in the Punjab Assembly (PA) lashed out at the Punjab government’s policy to run subsidised buses in Lahore while the other districts are not facilitated in such a manner.
The assembly session, chaired by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, started at 10:48am. Parliamentary Secretary Khurram Gulfam answered questions about Transport Department during the question hour.
PPP’s MPA Ehsanul Haq Naulatia, speaking on a supplementary question, railed against some stats provided by the Punjab government. The government had said, previously, that 348 buses were being run in Lahore under the Lahore Transport Company. The government had added that it had awarded each bus a subsidy of Rs1.25 million and 25 per cent equity financing.
Naulatia questioned the subsidy and asked why other districts were not getting the same treatment.
The minister said people in South Punjab had to wait hours for a single bus while the “Mayor of Lahore” had fielded 348 subsidised buses in Lahore. He said this was clear injustice to the people of Punjab.
The speaker warned the member not to call Shahbaz Sharif, the “Mayor of Lahore”. The member, however, did not stop. Speaker Khan warned Naulatia again and said he would be banned from the house if he did not heed the warning.
Unification Bloc leader Sheikh Alauddin, on a point of order, demanded that private schools should be stopped from collecting exorbitant fees from students. He said that some private school owners had established schools in houses in posh areas and were charging fees that ran into thousands of rupees.
He said that if a shopkeeper overcharges for meat the government arrests him but refused to take action against the management of private schools.
Alauddin asked the speaker to order action on this matter. He apprehended that the upcoming bill would actually provide cover to private schools who were raising their fees instead of trying to control them.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah admitted that the bill was not perfect. Sanaullah suggested that once the bill was introduced it could be amended.
Alauddin said the private schools ‘mafia’ had drafted the bill. The speaker asked him to wait and pursue Sanaullah’s recommendation.
Amna Ulfat, on a point of order, criticised private medical colleges and said they were ‘looting’ students who could not get admission in public colleges.
Alauddin, speaking on another point of order, expressed anger at Dilkash Lahore for removing bill boards from The Mall.
He said Dilkash Lahore had ignored the areas in front of the Lahore High Court and were only making things difficult for the business community. He asked the speaker to intervene.
The speaker adjourned the session till Monday evening.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.