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Bowing to public pressure over steep traffic penalties, the provincial government has constituted a house committee comprising treasury and opposition lawmakers to review fines imposed for various violations under the e-ticketing system, Dawn reported.
Addressing the provincial assembly, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar said an eight-member panel had been formed to conduct a comprehensive review of the fine structure. The minister, who also holds the home affairs portfolio, said the committee would examine whether the penalties required revision in light of public concerns. "If a revision in fine amounts is deemed necessary, the government will bring an amendment accordingly, as the public convenience and justice remain the government's top priorities," he told the house, according to Dawn. Lanjar said the committee, which he will head, is scheduled to hold its first meeting on December 15. He said its members include Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi, Taha Ahmed and Iftikhar Alam of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Shabbir Qureshi of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Itehad Council, and Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers Asif Khan, Sadia Javed and Farooq Awan. The minister said the panel would review traffic fines, public complaints and the transparency of the e-ticketing mechanism. "All stakeholders will be taken on board," he assured the house. He added that the purpose of issuing e-challans was to raise awareness, not to generate revenue. "The e-challan system is being introduced in phases in Hyderabad and other districts to modernise traffic management," he said. During the same session, the University and Board Minister, Ismail Rahoo, responded to a call attention notice by MQM-P member Qurat-ul-Ain Khan, highlighting transport shortages at major public universities. He said Karachi University had only 54-point buses for more than 39,000 students, while Sindh University had 50 buses for over 25,000 students, which he said were insufficient, Dawn reported. Rahoo said universities operate as autonomous institutions and are not directly administered by the provincial government, which has allocated PKR 41 billion to them in the current year. "It is up to the universities to decide where to spend the money," he said, adding that Karachi University had received PKR 3.9 billion. Responding to another call attention notice by MQM-P's Naseer Ahmed on illegal water connections, Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Qasim Siraj Soomro said the matter would be taken up with the district administration at a meeting scheduled next week to resolve the issue. The house also discussed concerns raised by PPP lawmaker Ghulam Qadir Chandio, who alleged that Hyderabad Electric Supply Company was carrying out night-time raids with Rangers to recover electricity bills, with people being detained for non-payment. Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah ruled that a house committee had already been constituted on the issue. He directed its chairman Fayyaz Bhatt and the assembly secretary to convene a meeting next week, Dawn reported. Raising a point of order, Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi referred to an incident in Sujawal where an elderly person was allegedly beaten in an open court in the presence of a minister and police officials. Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon described the episode as "sad and unfortunate," saying the elderly man was involved in a land dispute and was assaulted by an opposing party. He said police intervened in time, and no loss of life occurred. "The incident is being investigated and whoever is found responsible will not escape punishment," he told the house, as reported by Dawn. The assembly was later adjourned until Monday. (ANI)
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