ISLAMABAD: The Senate is set to take up a number of important constitutional matters, including a bill seeking restructuring of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), when the house meets after a two-day recess on Monday.

Titled “Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill 2015”, submitted by Sassui Palijo of PPP, the bill is on top of the agenda issued for the private members’ day sitting.

Through the bill, which the PPP senator claims is in line with the 18th Constitution Amendment giving more autonomy to provinces, the mover has sought equal representation of the four provinces in Ogra and also sought a role of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in resolving disputes between the federal government and provinces.

Besides introduction of the bill, the Senate is also likely to have a debate on “the domain and jurisdiction of the CCI and the situation arising out of non-convening of the meeting of the council as is required under Article 154(3) of the constitution”.

The government has been facing criticism from opposition parties inside and outside the parliament for its failure to convene the CCI meeting since March. During the debate, the opposition is likely take the government to task over what it claims violation of the constitution.

Govt may face criticism over non-convening of CCI meeting

Article 154(3) of the constitution states: “The Council (CCI) shall have a permanent secretariat and shall meet at least once in ninety (90) days.”

The upper house is also set to take up a resolution moved by Azam Swati of the PTI asking the government to “establish a regular full-fledged secretariat of the CCI and representation of all provinces in the staff”.

Ogra Bill

The Ogra bill suggests that the chairman of the authority shall be appointed on a rotation basis from the four federating units on the pattern of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). The bill has also sought changes in the eligibility criteria for the chairman and members of the authority.

Ogra has been functioning since promulgation of the Ogra Ordinance 2002 (Ordinance XVII of 2002) on March 28, 2002, with the main power to determine prices of some oil and gas products, many of them falling in the provinces’ jurisdictions.

At present, Ogra comprises a chairman and three members, who are known as member gas, member oil and member finance.

The bill seeking amendment to Section 3 of the ordinance suggests that Ogra should comprise “four members one each from the four provinces, to be appointed by the federal government in consultation with the provincial government concerned.”

The mover has suggested insertion of a new sub-section 3A which states: “The chairman of the authority shall be appointed from amongst the members for a period of one year, by rotation in the given order.”

At present, the Ogra chairman is appointed for a four-year term.

According to the bill, the member from Balochistan will become the chairman of the authority first, followed by members from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2015