01-12-2011, 06:39 PM
LAHORE – Members of the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday sought details of people availing the residential services of the Punjab House, and demanded that the Assembly should be informed about people using the House for years, and quizzed the government about the increase in rates.
The issue got initiated when PPP’ senior member Nazim Hussain Shah, who drew the attention of the members by pointing out the rates for the Punjab House rooms had been increased. He was of the view that either the rooms were unavailable, or if one could get a room, the rates were pretty steep.
It turned out to be a debate when Forward Bloc member Sheikh Alla-ud-Din asked the government to provide details of people, including MPAs and administrative secretaries, residing at the Punjab House for a couple of months or over a year. He raised this issue because, according to him, mostly rooms were unavailable to the MPAs even. “The Assembly must be informed about persons who are visiting the House most of the times,” he said, while further asserting that the matter was concerning the genuine residents, and especially those, who had got the rooms booked, but were being used by others. “This is done so for unspecified time, and longer durations. The Assembly must be informed about the names of MPAs or ministers even, who had got the rooms booked for a year or so,” he quizzed.
To this, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah responded by saying that the rates were increased in order to discourage the practice of getting rooms booked for longer durations. However, he conceded that the rooms were booked “in the names of MPAs and ministers for two years even.”
In response to this, Nazim Shah maintained that if that was the case, then others renting rooms for a few days should not be punished for the crime they had not committed. “The government must ensure implementation of one policy so that all MPAs get equal treatment,” he averred.
The issue got initiated when PPP’ senior member Nazim Hussain Shah, who drew the attention of the members by pointing out the rates for the Punjab House rooms had been increased. He was of the view that either the rooms were unavailable, or if one could get a room, the rates were pretty steep.
It turned out to be a debate when Forward Bloc member Sheikh Alla-ud-Din asked the government to provide details of people, including MPAs and administrative secretaries, residing at the Punjab House for a couple of months or over a year. He raised this issue because, according to him, mostly rooms were unavailable to the MPAs even. “The Assembly must be informed about persons who are visiting the House most of the times,” he said, while further asserting that the matter was concerning the genuine residents, and especially those, who had got the rooms booked, but were being used by others. “This is done so for unspecified time, and longer durations. The Assembly must be informed about the names of MPAs or ministers even, who had got the rooms booked for a year or so,” he quizzed.
To this, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah responded by saying that the rates were increased in order to discourage the practice of getting rooms booked for longer durations. However, he conceded that the rooms were booked “in the names of MPAs and ministers for two years even.”
In response to this, Nazim Shah maintained that if that was the case, then others renting rooms for a few days should not be punished for the crime they had not committed. “The government must ensure implementation of one policy so that all MPAs get equal treatment,” he averred.