NewsApril 27, 2019
Ch Sarwar appointed patron-in-chief of water authority
ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has become the patron-in-chief of the just established Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority (PAPA), a role alien to any of his provincial counterpart.
The Punjab government will appoint the chairman of the governing body, which will run the PAPA, “in consultation with the patron-in-chief”. No other function has been specified in the PAPA for the governor to play. Generally, such office holders including the president of Pakistan and governors are made patron-in-chief of organisations dealing with culture, sports etc., but they are not assigned any role in service delivery institutions of the government. In view of Chaudhry Sarwar’s assertive disposition, he is unlikely to be a figurehead patron-in-chief.
The PAPA is the other name of the Pakistan Saaf Company, formed by the Shahbaz Sharif through an act of the provincial assembly, which has been mired in controversy because of a case instituted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). However, this company still exists and the law under which it was crated has not been abolished by the provincial legislature.
The PAPA bill, passed by the Punjab Assembly on March 14, has been assented by Chaudhry Sarwar converting it into an act. Punjab Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi was reluctant to transmit it to the governor because of grumbling among several lawmakers of the ruling coalition, who did approve such role by the governor.
Under the act, the PAPA will perform different functions with regard to one or more areas entrusted to it by the government or the relevant local government with the agreement of the PAPA. It will devise strategy, plan and actionable parameters for survey of water contamination and for provision of clean drinking water by installation of water filtration and purification plants; design, fabricate, construct, install, commission, test, operate and maintain water supply schemes and water filtration plants; develop an infrastructure needed to provide clean drinking water including setting up of a bottling plant and testing laboratories; and educate and involve the community in the development of filtration plants and water supply schemes to devise suitable arrangements for improving access to clean drinking water etc.
According to the law, where an area has been entrusted to the PAPA for purposes of water supply, the respective local government will not undertake drinking water supply functions for such period as the provincial government may notify. However, such period will not exceed two years without permission of the relevant local government.
The management and administration of the affairs of the PAPA will vest in the governing body, which will consist of nine members including the chairman. The governing body will have four ex-officio members – secretaries for finance, planning and development, housing, urban development and public health engineering department, and local government and community development.
The PAPA chairman will be a person appointed by the government from amongst the members of the governing body. The PAPA will have a fund which will receive all such sums of money as may be determined from time to time by the government; all moneys as may be received by the PAPA in the exercise, discharge and performance of its powers, functions and duties; donations, if received from international agencies, donors and expatriate Pakistanis living outside Pakistan; and through sale of clean drinking water.
The PAPA will be responsible to the respective local government or where no local government is present to the Punjab government for the due discharge of its water supply functions. It will perform its functions in liaison with housing, urban development and public health engineering department of the provincial government whenever and wherever required.
The PAPA may liaise with companies, bodies, associations, societies, corporations, authorities, agencies, institutions whether in Pakistan or elsewhere, aid, benevolent, charitable, national or other institutions or the objects engaged in proving clean drinking water and which in the opinion of the PAPA warrants support; prepare, print and publish or cause to be published papers, journals, magazines, periodical reports articles, bulletins, newsletters or conferences for circulation and information for general public; provide a platform for research and development regarding provision of clean drinking water; and execute specific drinking water supply projects by the government or the concerned local government with the agreement of the PAPA.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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