950827

NA question hour

Islamabad-Peshawar

motorway plan dropped

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly at its sitting on Sunday was informed by the Parliamentary Secretary for Communications that the Lahore-Islamabad motorway will now be a six-lane motorway but so far the extra cost has not been determined. He said it is now expected to be completed by July 1996 while the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway has been dropped. He said it was the caretaker government which reduced the motorway to four lanes.

The opposition members said the motorway would not cost Rs. 42 billion as against the original cost of Rs. 24 billion. Who is responsible for the huge loss? they asked.

Syed Khurshid Shah said that the government is ready for a debat on the motorway and said it was originally estimated to cost Rs. 23 billion but the estimate were raised to Rs. 30 billion. Whey and how this increase of seven billion was permitted. He said that according to the feasibility report the toll on the motorway would be Rs. 780.

The speaker observed that a complete debate should be held on the motorway

so that the actual facts could come out.

Responding to another question, Law Minister N. D. Khan said that constitutional amendments are possible only with the cooperation of the opposition. A bill restoring the representation of women in the Parliament is already before the standing committee and through the lady member of the opposition, Tehmina Daultana he had requested that the opposition should cooperate for the restoration of women seats. He had also talked about constitutional amendment with the deputy leader of the opposition.

The Speaker obseved that a committee of the House was constituted. It is not known that happened to it. The committee was to consider the 8th Amendment and as a matter of fact review the entire Constitution.

Gohar Ayub Khan, Deputy leader of the opposition said that he told the law minister that the Muslim League and other opposition parties do not stand for one amendment. We want a complete constitutional package, from Article One of the Article 280. However, a proper and conducive atmosphere is needed foe constitutional amendments which is not existing.

The law minister agreed that condusive atmosphere is needed for carrying out constitutional amendments and the cooperation of the opposition is a must.

Another member pointed out that the special committee of the House had gone through 53 articles of the Constitution and there was complete unanimity while discussing these articles of the Constitution.

N. D. Khan said that the important question before the country is the restoration of women seats in order to give representation to more than 50 percent of the population. With the carrying out of the amendment in the Constitution about women seats, a beginning could be made leading to total review of the Constitution.

Through another question, the house was informed that gas prices for various consumers were increased on 1.7.1995 on an average to Rs 54.45 mcft as against Rs 42.56 while for the industrial consumers it was increased to Rs 84.05 from Rs 62.75 mcft.

He said the criterian for gas rates fixation is done in pursuance of agreement with the World Bank which calls for achieving full parity with the border price of fuel oil by April 30, 1995 in the case of domestic consumers. It also provides for maintaining the price of gas supplied as fuel to the industrial, commercial and power consumers at least at full parity with the domestic price of fuel oil.

Through another question, the house was informed that as a first phase the lead contents in petrol (Premier plus) have been reduced from 0.63 gms/litre to 0.34 gms/litre through introduction of methyl tertiary butyl either chemical. The lead contents will be further reduced after 1997-98 when refineries will modify their configuration.