QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has said that energy crisis is a serious issue confronting domestic consumers and farmers and that his provincial government has taken up the matter with the federal government for its settlement.

In reply to a point of order raised by opposition member Gul Mohammad Dumar during a session of the Balochistan Assembly on Monday, the chief minister said the government was paying Rs4.6 billion subsidy for 15,000 tube-wells used by farmers, adding that another Rs5bn was required to regularise the remaining 15,000 tube-wells.

Know more: Power crisis worsens as pylons blown up in Balochistan

He said the federal government had constituted a four-member committee on the issue which would meet on Tuesday. Representatives of farmers will also attend the meeting.

Responding to a point raised by the opposition leader, Senior Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri of PML-N told the house that the federal government would not change the route of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his recent visit to Quetta had given the same assurance to provincial lawmakers.

Speaking on a point of order, Opposition Leader Maulana Abdul Wasay regretted that his resolution about a change in the economic corridor’s route had not been put on the agenda of today’s session. People of the province had serious reservation about the perceived route in the change, he said.

Provincial ministers Jaffar Khan Mandokhel and Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai also opposed change in the original plan and urged the government to stick to Gwadar-Khuzdar-Quetta- Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan route.

The house adopted a resolution tabled by Minister for Health Rehmat Baloch, asking the centre to order issuance of diplomatic passport to the speaker and deputy speaker and blue (official) passport to other members of the assembly.

The chief minister, Syed Liaquat Agha, Rehila Durani, Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran, Agha Reza and Dr Achakzai supported the resolution.

Earlier, the members offered fateha for those killed in the Taliban attack on the Army Public School Peshawar and Shikarpur Imambargah. Fateha was also offered for the wife of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

The session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, was adjourned till Thursday.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2015

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