May 1, 2003	Thursday	Safar 28, 1424

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PESHAWAR, April 30: The NWFP Assembly on Wednesday took a strong notice of the award of a contract for the construction of the assembly building to a particular group against rules and referred a joint adjournment motion in this regard to a house committee to look into the matter.

The session, presided over by Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, discussed two identical adjournment motions tabled by Abdul Akbar Khan of the PPP, Anwar Kamal Khan of the PML-N, Bashir Bilour of the ANP and an independent MPA Shazada Gistasip. Pir Mohammad Khan of the MMA also presented a motion on the issue and demanded investigations into the irregularities committed by the former government in the award of the contract to a particular construction company.

PPP’s Akbar Khan informed the house that the NWFP governor performed the ground-breaking of the building project on August 14, but tenders invited by the government were made public one month later in September. How did the government determine that the same party would come up with the lowest rates, the PPP leader asked.

The then chief engineer, he said, had opposed the construction of the building on the present site, but he had been made an OSD. Later, the government awarded contract on a very high rate of Rs2,200 per sq-ft, which also included the parking zone, he added.

The PPP legislator said on the one hand the government was opposed to giving pension facility to low-grade employees and on the other it had awarded a contract on exorbitant rates, which didn’t hold any logic.

Initially, the contract was awarded against Rs260 million, but, later, the contractor demanded another over Rs30 million to develop the land, which was rejected on technical grounds.

Taking the floor, ANP’s Bashir Bilour said none of the contractors belonged to the NWFP. The house should take a notice of it and initiate investigations into it. “It is a common practice that the government invites tenders, then awards work order to the approved party which starts works. In our case, the contractor started work first and got work order later,” he added.

Mr Gistasip said plundering was going on in the assembly premises under the nose of the MPAs. It was directly linked to the credibility of the assembly and the house should take a notice of it, he demanded.

Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan referred the matter to a house committee to ascertain the real position.

The house kept pending another adjournment motion, also tabled by the PPP’s Abdul Akbar Khan, regarding the reopening of the provincial cooperative bank, and asked the minister concerned to present the latest position of the case before the house.

Akbar Khan said the provincial cooperative bank had made a record recovery of loans before its closure by the government. In recognition of bank’s performance, the State Bank of Pakistan had waved the Rs67 million penalty against the bank and provided Rs200 million more loan to it.

He said over 200 employees were sent home without pension or any other benefit. The closure of the bank had resulted into the collapse of hundred of cooperative societies, providing loans to the farmers, he added.

The closure of the bank, he said, affected the farmers and the agriculture sector of the province. He urged the house to refer the issue to the committee concerned for bank’s reopening.

Senior minister Sirajul Haq and food minister Fazal Rabbani opposed the motion and asked the house to give some time so that the issue could be investigated from all aspects.

The chair suspended the debate on the motion till Monday and advised the minister to inform the house on May 5.

The house unanimously adopted a resolution presented by Sardar Inayatullah Khan Gandapur against the anti-smuggling squad of Pakistan Customs posted at the Kund checkpoint. The house sent the resolution to the federal government, demanding action against the accused officials.

According to the resolution, a few days ago, the customs squad had harassed Ikramullah Khan, son of Sardar Gandapur, at the Kund checkpoint and misbehaved with him.

Maulana Amanullah Haqqani of the MMA tabled an adjournment motion against the vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar.

He urged the house to suggest immediate removal of the VC for his objectionable views and alleged embezzlement into the varsity funds.

The speaker asked the education minister to take up the issue with the NWFP governor and seek a viable solution. The mover did not press the motion.