Daily Times

LAHORE: Despite hot weather and heavy shortfall of electricity in the Punjab Assembly, the government passed 12 bills after consideration within an hour as well as introduced a bill of fixing the prices of fertilisers for importers, local manufacturers and distributers.

Due to suffocation and heat in the hall of the assembly, mostly the members used hand-made-fans with the papers and file-covers available in the House during the Wednesday session.

The Opposition also held a protest against the situation terming it a failure of the poor policies of the ruling party of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the administration of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Punjab as the load shedding of electricity was continuous in the province.

The opposition Leader in the House Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed on a point of order also demanded the Speaker to take up his resolution against the anti-state statement of ousted prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif out of turn but the Speaker did not entertain his request.

When the Speaker did not allow the opposition third consecutive day to move a resolution against the ruling party’s disqualified premier, all the opposition parties legislators came forward to their benches and surrounded the Speaker’s desk chanting slogans against Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.

Later, they pointed out quorum and the speaker suspended the session for five minutes and then the government succeeded in completing the required number of members for continuing the proceedings of the assembly.

Later, the house observed a Q&A session followed by the passing of 12 bills in the absence of the opposition while a bill named The Punjab Fertilisers Bill 2018 was introduced in the House by minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu.

Twelve bills which are passed after consideration of just one hour include the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority Bill 2018, the Punjab Legal Aid Bill 2018, the Punjab Bonded Labour System (Abolition) (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Witness Protection Bill 2018, the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Drugs (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Inspectorate Bill 2018, the Punjab University of Technology Rasul Bill 2018, the Explosive Substances (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Second Amendment) Bill 2018, and the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2018.

According to the introduced bill about fixing the price of fertilisers in Punjab, the provincial government may fix maximum price of any fertiliser and no importer, producer or dealer shall sell it at a price higher than the price so fixed. The producer, manufacturer, distributor or importer shall conspicuously mark on each bag, pack or container, the price fixed by the government. The importer would also inform all details to the government controller about his or her arrived consignment while the dealer would also provide details of retail sale of fertilisers to the farmers. Also, the fertilisers would be registered and a committee for it in the name of Fertiliser Registration & Advisory Committee will be established while a product standardisation committee, regional inspection committee and provincial quality controla board shall also be constituted to be implemented on the law. The controller could take samples of fertilisers, enter upon and search a place where fertiliser is being manufactured, produced, stored, sold, distributed or offered for sale in contravention of the rules. He has also powers of seizing fertiliser in respect of contravention of the rules as well as account books, or other documents could also be seized by him. Every godown and warehouse would be declared by the owner of the product within two weeks.

The bill also said that no dealer, distributor, importer or manufacturer or any other person shall unless registered in the prescribed manner shall or offer for sale or carry on the business of selling a fertiliser. And, on violation of the rules and laws, some punishments like six months to three years imprisonment with fine are also suggested in the bill. After passing the bill, the Punjab Fertilisers (Control) Order 1973 will be repealed.

The Punjab Witness Protection Bill 2018 aims to protect witnesses in criminal proceedings, including sexual offences and terrorism-related crimes, and ensure effective and speedy disposal of trials.

According to the bill, the government would create a Witness Protection Board — to formulate policy and supervise its implementation — and two witness protection units relating to offences of terrorism and other serious offences, respectively.

Published in Daily Times, May 17^th 2018.