LAHORE, Oct 3: The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed four bills and referred one to a standing committee.

The assembly also adopted a motion, after a heated debate, seeking permission from the house to use the assembly chambers for presidential election.

No one from the opposition benches said ‘no’ when Speaker Afzal Sahi sought consent of the house on the four amendment bills, especially the draft law revising their additional travelling allowance.

The assembly passed the Punjab Provincial Assembly (salaries, allowances and privileges of members) Amendment Bill of 2007, the Punjab Regulation and Control of Loudspeakers and Sound Amplifiers (Amendment) Bill of 2007, the Punjab Wildlife (protection, preservation, conservation and management) Amendment Bill of 2007 and the Disposal of Land by Development Authorities (regulation) Amendment Bill of 2007.

The Punjab General Provident Investment Fund Bill of 2007 was referred to the standing committee on finance.

The Punjab Provincial Assembly (salaries, allowances and privileges of members) Amendment Act of 2007 entitles an MPA to a sum of Rs75,000 per annum as an additional travelling allowance.

A violator of the Punjab Regulation and Control of Loudspeakers and Sound Amplifiers (Amendment) Act of 2007 could now be sent behind the bars for three months while the fine will be Rs1,000.

The section 21 para (ii) lines 3-4 of the Punjab Wildlife (protection, preservation, conservation and management) Amendment Act of 2007 now reads “fine which shall not be less than Rs25,000 nor more than Rs30,000”.

The Punjab General Provident Investment Bill aims at creating a fund enough to generate resources to recognise the aggregate liabilities of the general provident fund of government employees and to make their payments an off-budget item.

Removing the liability from the budget will create fiscal space for channelling resources towards the socio-economic development of the province.

PPP’s Samiullah Khan opposed the motion moved by Minister for Law Raja Basharat, seeking permission from the house to use the assembly chambers as polling station for the presidential election. He said the treasury wanted to use the assembly chambers for the third time for the election of Gen Musharraf.