LAHORE, Nov 14: Ruling party’s Humaira Awais Shahid voiced her concern at the “non-functioning” of standing committees of the Punjab Assembly. She told the house on Monday that her bill concerning regulating the private money lending for saving innocent people from exploitation was lying with the revenue, relief and consolidation committee for the last one and half years.

The committee had since met for 26 times but without making any progress, she regretted.

A one-day meeting of a standing committee costs the exchequer around Rs100,000. It means the body has so far consumed Rs2.6 million.

Ms Humaira alleged that the committee did not discuss the bill even for a single day because of lack of quorum. At least five members are required for a meeting of any standing committee.

She alleged that whenever a fifth member would arrive, any of the four present would walk out of the room to create quorum problem.

She said if the government was not serious she was ready to withdraw her bill so that at least the provincial kitty was not burdened.

Speaker Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal Sahi said that he would talk to the standing committee chairman to settle the issue.

A similar issue was raised by PPP’s Samiullah Khan when the house was debating privileges committee’s performance through points of order.

He said his bill regarding allowing MPAs to visit police stations in their constituency was lying with the relevant standing committee for the last two years.