August 15, 2007	Wednesday	Sha’aban 1, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 14: The five-member Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has lost two of its members and another two would retire this week, leaving the lone member from Balochistan to run the country’s irrigation matters and meet provincial water requirements.

Some of the provinces and the ministry of water and power have, however, entrenched in a controversy over filling of the vacant seats. The provinces have sought extension of the existing members for another three-year term but the federal government is reluctant to oblige.

Informed sources told Dawn that the ministry has turned down requests from the NWFP and Punjab governments to extend the services of their outgoing members Aman Gul Khattak and Shafqat Masood, respectively, for another term. The federal government has, however, reminded them of the relevant rules and asked to submit panels of not less than three nominees for consideration.

Likewise, the ministry has also written to the Sindh government to forward a panel of candidates to fill the post of Sindh member who will relinquish the charge of Irsa chairman on August 15. Punjab’s member will vacate his office on August 16 while member federal and member NWFP completed their three-year terms on August 3 and 6, respectively.

Under the rules, irrigation secretaries would represent their provinces in the absence of their members, while the federal government allots additional charge of member federal to a senior official of the federal flood commission or the parent ministry. Likewise, chairman of the federal flood commission usually assumes the charge of Irsa chairman if the post falls vacant.

The Irsa sources said the ministry of water and power was reluctant to continue with the old members because they had started to exert their independent status.

The ministry sources on the other hand said some of the decisions of the outgoing members were in violation of the rules and regulations and the ministry wanted to undo those decisions through fresh members.

These sources said there might be some issues of interpretation but Irsa was an independent regulator established under an act of the parliament and had constitutional protection. It has the powers to make its own rules and fix perks and privileges.

For example, the ministry sources said that Irsa purchased imported cars for all the members without approval of the federal government.

Under the rules, import of vehicles by the government institutions is banned. These sources said some of the Irsa members also paid foreign trips without approval of the federal government or without seeking ex-Pakistan leave.

These sources said the purchase of defence saving certificates out of Irsa’s funds in the name of eight officers was also objected to by the ministry of finance on the grounds that a welfare scheme could only be launched in the name of entire staff or the institution and not in the name of a few individuals.