LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed two amendments to the Local Government Ordinance 2001 and Local Government Act 2013, allowing the provincial government to establish companies at the district level to set up cattle markets under their jurisdiction.

The companies are supposed to manage cattle markets and sale of animals. Six of the opposition members tried to put up some resistance to the passage of the amendments but were ruled over quickly.

The opposition maintained the companies were being stuffed with bureaucrats, leaving out the House and its members. It would not only dent revenue of local governments but also fleece the poor farmers whose only livelihood is cattle farming. But the House capitalised on the numerical strength of the Treasury.

PML-Q’s Amir Sultan Cheema was of the opinion that the clause of the bill disallowed the local government to establish a parallel cattle market. It was tantamount to setting up parallel local government. Dr Waseem Akhtar of the JI thought that cattle companies would fleece farmers and end up raising prices of animals besides resorting to corruption.

Faiza Malik of the PPP advocated advertising the act and bill for eliciting public opinion so that all stakeholders could contribute to the legislation.

The law minister claimed the bill was aimed at eliminating extortion of contractors of the existing markets. The CM had already ordered establishing cattle markets this past Eid without auctioning their rights. The losses to local governments, if any, will be compensated by the government.

The House passed the Punjab Registration of Godowns Bill 2014, allowing the government to register all warehouses of agriculture products and barring the owners and tenants of unregistered warehouses to store and stock any items declared essential by the government.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2014