PESHAWAR, July 7: Lawmakers in the NWFP Assembly on Thursday called for an inquiry into a costly and unsuccessful attempt to renovate the MPAs’ hostel here. The renovation work had cost Rs6.5 million but, they said, there was no improvement in the building or facilities. Dr Saleem Khan of the Swabi Qaumi Mahaz said that although the government had spent a huge amount on renovation of hostel rooms, supply of drinking water and improvement of the telephone system, it had not been able bring about any improvement.

He called on the deputy speaker to visit the hostel and witness first-hand its “poor and pathetic” condition. “Our television sets do not work. Our furniture is full of bugs. The telephone lines do not work properly,” he said.

Dr Saleem asked the government to hold an inquiry into “the huge sum of funds eaten up by the department” responsible for carrying out the building’s renovation.

Last year, the provincial chief minister visited the MPAs hostel and earmarked a sum of Rs6.5 million for the renovation of the hostel.

Felix Innocent, a minority MPA of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, complained that the hostel staff was uncooperative with most of the lawmakers. “We are constrained to drink turbid water. If we cannot get our problems solved, how can we solve the problems of people who sent us to the assembly?” he asked.

Yasmin Khalid of the ruling MMA said that provincial lawmakers and their guests were often forced to park their vehicles at exit points and so a lot of their precious time was wasted this way. Ms Yasmin urged members of the hostel committee to focus on redressing this issue too.

Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q asked the deputy speaker to visit the hostel and see for himself how rats roamed about freely in their rooms. According to him, the hostel had turned into a heap of filth.

Instead of the hostel, Mushtaq Ghani of the PML-Q asked the chair to provide lawmakers with tents which, he said, would be at least manageable.

The deputy speaker informed the house that he would convene a meeting of the finance department’s secretary, secretary of services and works department and members of the hostel committee on Monday to find out how to redress the grievances of those living in the hostel.

Speaking on a point of order, Zafarullah Marwat of the PML-N said he had submitted a question nine months ago about the registration of journalists and other newspaper workers with the social security department and Employees of Old Age Benefit Institute(EBOI) with the speaker’s secretariat, but his question had yet not been placed on the agenda.

“Newspaper employees are forced to work sometimes for 18 hours at a stretch, yet they are not paid properly,” he said. Mr Marwat walked out of the house when the chair gave him a less than satisfactory response.

Later, the house unanimously passed seven resolutions, demanding the establishment of computerised driving license offices in Swat, Peshawar, Abbottabad and D.I. Khan; payment of Rs10 million by Wapda as a compensatory sum to the residents of New Darband Township; construction of a 16-kilometre road from Arando to Chitral; increase in the compensatory amount paid to the disaster-stricken people and award of punishment to the US marines involved in the desecration of the Holy Quran at the Guantanamo Bay.

Resolutions were tabled, respectively, by Maulana Nizamuddin of the MMA, Zar Gul Khan of the PML-Q, Muneeba Shahzadi of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, Jamshed Khan of the PPP-S and Naeema Akhtar, Shagufta Naz and Zubaida Khatoon of the MMA. The chair referred two resolutions of Muzaffar Said and Ikramullah Shahid to the concerned standing committees.

Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Anwar Kamal Khan of the PML-N, drew the attention of the house towards the non-payment of salaries to the former officers of the legal branch (police) for the last seven months. These officers had become victims in the tussle between the law and the home departments, he added.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Malik Zafar Azam informed the house that the services of these officials had been transferred to the home department. He said they would soon be paid all their dues.

Responding to a point of order, senior minister Sirajul Haq said the government would pay compensation to the relatives of five people who had been mauled by tigers in Abbottabad villages.

The speaker later adjourned the session till Monday morning.