1 (52nd Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES”

to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on

Friday, the 16th February, 2018

11. *Syed Imran Ahmad Shah: (Deferred during 50th Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division be pleased to state:

(a) the names, designations and departments of Government servants who have applied and got foreign nationalities during the last ten years;

(b) whether said servants obtained prior permission by the Government;

(c) if the answer to part (b) above is in negative, whether this is tantamount to misconduct; if so, the total number of Government Servants against whom actions have been taken by the Government so far?

Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division: (a), (b), & (c) The Question of Honourable Member was circulated to all 43 Ministries / Divisions under the Federal Government on 05-12-2017.

40 Federal Ministries / Divisions have given ‘Nil” report: —————————————————————————————— Sr.# Name of Ministry / Division —————————————————————————————— 1. Cabinet Division 2. M/o Maritime Affairs 3. M/o Industries & Production —————————————————————————————— 2 —————————————————————————————— Sr.# Name of Ministry / Division —————————————————————————————— 4. Power Division 5. Petroleum Division 6. M/o Commerce 7. M/o Narcotics Control 8. M/o Foreign Affairs 9. Federal Board of Revenue 10. M/o Overseas Pakistanis 11. M/o Water Resources 12. M/o communication 13. Establishment Division 14. M/o Religious Affairs 15. M/o Privatization 16. M/o Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit Baltistan 17. Statistics Division 18. National Security Division 19. M/o Planning Development & Reform 20. M/o Science & Technology 21. Finance Division 22. M/o Human Rights 23. M/o States & Frontier Region 24. M/o Parliamentary Affairs 25. Economic Affairs Division 26. M/o, Defence Production 27. M/o Federal Education and Professional Training. 28. M/o National Health Services 29. M/o Law and Justice 30. Capital Administration Development Division (CADD) 31. National History and Literary Heritage Division 32. M/o Interior 33. M/o Inter Provincial & Coordination 34. M/o Information Technology & Telecommunication. 35. Defence Division 36. Postal Services Division 37. Railways Division 38. Textile Division 39. Housing & Works Division 40. M/o Climate Change —————————————————————————————— 3 The following three Ministries / Divisions have submitted their reply regarding who have applied and got foreign nationalities:—

i. Aviation Division (Annex-I). ii. Information and Broadcasting Division (Annex-II). iii. National Food Security & Research Division (Annex-III).

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

171. *Mr. Sher Akbar Khan: (Deferred during 51st Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of dispensaries/hospitals operating in the rural areas of Islamabad including Tarnol, Koral and Bhara Kahu;

(b) the facilities available in said hospitals at present;

(c) the hospital-wise names of doctors working in said hospitals at present; and

(d) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to establish full fledge hospitals for said areas; if so, when it will be established?

Transferred to Interior Division for answer on Next Rota Day.

@48. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Pakistan is producing the most costly elecricity at present as compared to other countries of the region; if so, the reasons thereof:

(b) if the answer to part (a) above is in the negative, the comparative of the per unit cost of electricity with at least two countries of the region of Pakistan? ______@ Transferred from Power Division. 4 Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division: (a) & (b) comparative analysis of consumer end tariff currently being applicable in Pakistan vis-a-vis Dhaka, Bangladesh & Mumbai, India is attached as Annexure A.

Regarding Residential category the rates applicable in Pakistan are comparable with regional benchmark of Mumbai (India) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). Regarding industrial consumers, although the base tariff seems to be on the higher side, however, the government provides an industrial support package of Rs. 3/kWh to all industrial consumers every month. Here it is pertinent to mention that in case of XWDISCOs in Pakistan, the consumers except Agriculture and Residential (having consumption less than 300 kWh/ month) are getting the benefit of lower fuel price every month which ranges between negative PKR 2­3/kWh, whereas, in Mumbai (India) a positive FCA charged which is around positive PKR 1/kWh. Regarding bulk supply category, no regional benchmarks have been found, however, a category i.e. group housing societies, somewhat similar in nature to bulk consumer category at 11kV is available in Mumbai, India. On the Agriculture side, Pakistan consumer end classification is more refined, whereas in case of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Mumbai, India there is only one category. A comparative analysis of the tariff applicable in Pakistan vis-a-vis Dhaka (Bangladesh) & Mumbai (India) is attached herewith.

Sources: Dhaka, Bangladesh tariff available at https://www.desco.org.bd/ index.php?page=tariff-rate-2

Mumbai, India tariff available at https://cp.tatapower.com/irj/go/km/docs/documents/Public%20Documents/Customer Portal/pdf/Direct.pdf

FCA Decision of Mumbai India available at https://sangam.tatapower.com:1443/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/zfac rates display pdf?&P MONTH=02&P YEAR=2018#

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

88. *Ms. Surriya Asghar:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the Officers of the division are not capable to administer the affairs of the Division; 5 (b) whether it is also a fact that some consultants have been hired for running the affairs of the Division; if so, the justification thereof; and

(c) the time by which the institutional capacity of the Division will be improved to conduct its business through its officers instead of consultants?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) The officers of the Capital Administration & Development Division are fully capable to administer the affairs of the Division. This Division provides opportunities to all Officers to improve their capacity building through workshops, seminars and training courses from time to time. The officers of this Division are also nominated for promotion training courses i.e. MCMC SMC and NMC in National Institute of Management College (NIM). There is deficiency of officers In CA&DD. The following posts are vacant at present;

iv. Joint Secretary (BS-20) 01 v. Deputy Secretary (BS-19) 01 vi. Section Officer (BS-17/18) 06

This Division has already requested the Establishment Division for posting of 08 officers against the vacant posts as shown above.

(b) No consultants have been hired by this Division in main Secretariat since its creation.

(c) Nil

89. *Mr. Junaid Akbar:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the cargo staff of PIA steal valuables from the luggage of passengers;

(b) if so, the number of employees against whom actions have been taken since June, 2013; 6 (c) the details of the nature of the actions thereof; and

(d) the steps being taken to control such theft?

Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division: (a) Pilferage or stealing from luggage of passengers is not unusual in airline industry unfortunately PIA also is no exception. Dishonest baggage handlers are primarily responsible for such theft, while the luggage is being loaded in the aircraft holds. However, thefts have also been known to occur at security checkpoints (not controlled by airlines) before the traveler even boards the plane.

(b) Action was taken on 30th October 2015 against 18 Baggage Handlers, hired through contractor, in connection with a complaint about their involvement in suspicious activities including pilferage from luggage. They were all terminated from service and their Airport Entry Passes were confiscated.

(c) Such complaints about pilferage from passenger’s luggage are invariably investigated by PIA’ s Security Division. In some of the cases, no clue is found about the alleged theft. However, if it is established on the basis of CCTV footage or other reliable sources, that the evidence against the accused Baggage Handlers is undisputed they are placed under suspension and disciplinary proceedings are initiated against them. Besides, police is called for help and such employees face criminal cases in Court of Law. Daily-wages Baggage Handlers face outright termination from job.

(d) Following steps are being taken to control such theft:-

(i) Surveillance of Baggage Handling/build-up area through CCTV.

(ii) Increased frisking/screening of Baggage Handlers through Airport Security Force and PTA’s own Security staff.

(iii) Creating awareness among passengers to keep their checked bags locked and always watch their bags even if they are passing through the security scanners.

(iv) Requesting passengers through text messages to keep their valuable objects with them and don’t store them in their checked bags.

(v) Emphasizing to passengers to know what they have packed. This helps them confirm that a theft has occurred and makes it easier to report what’s missing. 7 90. *Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Rs.100.00 millions have been kept in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) budget 2017-18 for development works in Sector I-12, Islamabad which has not been utilized as yet; if so, the reasons thereof;

(b) the time by which plots will be handed over to the allottees of said Sector; and

(c) the time by which approval for the construction of roads in said Sector will be given by the concerned department of the CDA alongwith the number of meeting held in this connection so far and stage of the case at present?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) The development of 05 Major Roads are in progress at site, and 76% progress achieved so far. However, funds amount to Rs. 100 (Million) allocated in the current fiscal year 2017-18. The said funds could be possible to utilize in the current fiscal year, subject to the issuance of revised layout plan of entire sector being carried out by the Planning Wing, CDA.

(b) After development of the sector the files of plots for possession will processed and land survey Division will hand over the possession of said plots.

(c) As explained above, the development work of 05 Major Roads at Sector 1-12 are under construction. However, the work of Service Road, Vehicular Roads and other allied internal structures shall be taken in hand by the concerned formation after the issuance of approved revised layout plan of entire sector by the Planning Wing, CDA.

91. *Shazia Marri:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has conducted forensic audit of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) particularly with reference 8 to identification of weak areas that are contributing towards its poor financial and commercial performance during the last five years till date; if so, the details thereof;

(b) the reasons which are contributing to continuous deterioration of the PIA;

(c) the remedial steps taken by the Government to address aforesaid reasons in order to make the PIA financially profitable;

(d) whether it is a fact that aforesaid steps could not prove beneficial; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(e) the way forward to make the PIA profitable with rational approach?

Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division: (a) It pertains to Government Commercial Audit and has been referred for their comments.

(b) The following are some of the major reasons which have been contributing to deterioration of the PIA:

 Aviation Policy - capacity dumping by foreign carriers  Legacy Debt Burden - No equity injection by principal owner  Frequent Changes in Management  Decisions without Strategic Clarity- May not merit Commercial Viability  Geo Political Factors - e.g. TSA requirement of stopover at Manchester for US Flights.  Product Experience  Negative Perception  Weak Inflight Experience  Baggage Issues  Service Rigidity  No Customer Centricity  Limited Customer Convenience  Post Purchase Experience  Control on Services  Weak System Control  Schedule Disruptions 9

 Fleet Constraints  Lack of Ownership  Rapid Changes  Owners not taking responsibility  Only providing short fix  Organizational Culture  No Accountability  No Succession Planning  Nepotism-Lack of Merit  Change Resistant  Associations & Shadow Management  Unskilled Workforce  Faulty HR Practices (c) Following are some remedial steps taken in order to make the PIA financially profitable:

 Implementing a new business model with route rationalization Arresting ongoing continuous losses  Implementing reputational damage control  Restructuring sales programs and resources to expand market share  Extensive training and development to develop core competencies of the workforce  Modern business technology implementation  Improving customer satisfaction and the entire customer experience  Safety & security management  Filling competency gaps in key areas as well as driving a cultural change  Rationalization of Human Resources  focus on core business of PIA (d) The measures taken above have been beneficial and positive results are emerging especially, in the last quarter of 2017 there has been a significant improvement in the airline revenues thus helping in arresting the losses. (e) The way forward to make the PIA profitable:

 PIA has formulated realistic scenarios based strategies for turn around.

 Owner’s renewed interest to change of affairs of PIA in putting greater focus toward PIA’s challenges and their resolution. 10

 Legacy loan burden to be set aside.  Business transformation and radical restructuring of PIA is underway to make it an agile and competitive business from its current bureaucratic set up.  PIA is undertaking change in operative model for cost effectiveness and operational efficiency.

92. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to construct a pedestrian bridge or underpass on Jinnah Avenue in front of Mehran Gate of F-9 Park, Islamabad to Sector G-9/2;

(b) if answer to part (a) above is in the affirmative, the time by which construction work will be started thereon;

(c) the actions taken against those who are responsible for delaying its construction; and

(d) the estimated cost of the said bridge?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) YES.

(b) There are some other proposals of similar nature; Authority is working on a consolidated PC-I which shall also cover the cost of this pedestrian bridge. Time by which the construction will be started cannot be given at this stage. (c) Not applicable. (d) The Bridge will cost around Rs. 38 million.

93. *Dr. Shazia Sobia: Will the Minister for Railways be pleased to state the total expenditure incurred on repairing renovation and reconstruction of railway 11 stations in the country since 01-01-2012 to 31-12-2014 alongwith the province-wise break-up thereof?

Minister for Railways (Khawaja Saad Rafique): The province-wise expenditure incurred on the repair, renovation and re-construction of railway stations during the said period is as under:— —————————————————————————————— Province Expenditure (Rs million) —————————————————————————————— Punjab 86.556 Sindh 57.278 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.371 Baluchistan 0.400 —————————————————————————————— Total 144.605 —————————————————————————————— Detail is at annexure (A).

In addition to above

 Rehabilitation work of track, bridges and stations on Sibi —Khost Section is in progress which includes rehabilitation of 8 stations on this section at an estimated cost of Rs. 238 million, out of which an amount of Rs. 155 million has been incurred so far.  30 Railway stations are proposed to be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs. 2972.95 million. PC-I is under process of approval, as per following detail. —————————————————————————————— Province No of Amount stations (Rs million) —————————————————————————————— Punjab 09 977.32 Sindh 12 1242.93 Khyberpakhtunkhwa 05 442.71 Baluchistan 03 243.49 Federal Capital 01 66.5 —————————————————————————————— Total 30 2972.95 —————————————————————————————— 12

Annexure-A 13 14 94. *Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state whether incinerator which disposes of hospital waste has installed in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): PIMS have no incinerator since 2008. PIMS sending infectious waste to NCPC, Morgah Rawalpindi for final disposal on out source basis (contract copy enclosed at Annex-A). PIMS follow infection waste EPA rules 2005. Infection waste system is functional under management of Hospital Waste Management Committee. (Annex-B)

Risk / Infectious waste is collected from each ward / unit regularly on daily basis, and dumped in separate place / store. NCPC vehicle pick infection waste on daily basis. Hospital waste management committee check the system regularly. Other municipal / solid hospital waste is collected by CDA regularly. Record of infection waste is maintained daily / regularly by housekeeping department and re­checked by Hospital waste management committee. (Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

95. *Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to upgrade the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): The proposal for up-gradation of PIMS is underway. In this regard the project of establishment of centre for Haemotology disorder, up-gradation of non radiation diagnostic services and establishment of unit for shredding, sterilization and disposal of medical waste have been approved. The approval of remaining 05 following projects is under process in Planning Commission. 15

1. Up-gradation HVAC 2. Islamabad Cancer Hospital 3. Center for Neuro Science 4. Phase-II of Cardiac Center 5. Up-gradation of Gastroenterology deptt

96. *Shaikh Rohale Asghar:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state:

(a) the names of the districts where stations of Radio Pakistan have not been established so far; and

(b) the time by which stations of Radio Pakistan will be established in said districts?

Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb): (a) & (b) Radio stations are the broadcasting houses, where programs are produced in the studios and fed to transmitters for on-air transmission. Presently, the radio stations (broadcasting houses) of Radio Pakistan exist in 30 major districts. Annexure-A. These include 01 district of Islamabad, 09 districts of Punjab, 04 districts of Sindh, 06 districts of Balochistan, 06 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 02 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and 02 districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The districts which do not have any broadcasting house can be seen at Annexure-B. It would be pertinent to state here that it is not financially and technically feasible to establish radio stations in each and every district of Pakistan, since radio coverage of many districts can be achieved through a single medium wave (long-range) transmitter. The radio stations (broadcasting houses) of Radio Pakistan are however located in 30 major districts which broadcast programs through 23 medium wave transmitters and 57 FM transmitters. Moreover, the services of Radio Pakistan are available through audio- streaming on its website at www.radio.gov.pk and android-based mobile phones at the app. named “Radio Pakistan Official.” These services can be accessed through internet from anywhere in Pakistan as well as the world.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library) 16 97. *Dr. Shazia Sobia:

Will the Minister for Climate Change be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise Air Quality Index of Pakistan during the last five years; and

(b) the steps taken by the Government for effective Air Quality Management since June, 2013?

Minister for Climate Change (Mr. Mushahid Ullah Khan): (a) After the 18th constitutional amendment, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency is mandated with its function under Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, for protection, conservation and rehabilitation of environment in ) Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

During last five years, Pak-EPA has been conducting survey or sampling on need basis to assess the air quality in ambient air particularly during winter. Whereas continuous air quality monitoring was not done due to repair / Maintenance of Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS).

(b) Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) at Pak-EPA is fully functional for ambient air quality monitoring after 5 years. It is working 24 /7 and all basic parameters can be monitored.

The “Establishment of Environmental Monitoring System in Pakistan” project established the foundation for building capacity of the monitoring laboratories of Pak-EPA and Provincial EPAs in order to enhance regulatory compliance, and environmental management and protection. The project worked as a network for monitoring of continuous air monitoring in Federal and Provincial capitals. The Federal and Provincial EPAs were upgraded, and a new laboratory was established at Islamabad.

In Pakistan 7 fixed and 3 Mobile Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations were established under “Environmental Monitoring System (EMS)” project in cooperation with JICA, Government of Japan. Under the project one fixed station was established in Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta, two each in Lahore and Karachi. In addition, 3 mobile stations, one each in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi were also established. All these stations are equipped with state of the art technology to monitor ambient air round the clock. 17 After 18th Amendment, the said project was devolved to the provinces and all provinces have made their PC-I and started the project on provincial level with required staff.

After closing of this project at Federal level on 30-06-2014, PC-IV of the project submitted to Planning & Development Division and Establishment Division (M.S Wing) for conversion of project posts from development to non- development side Management Services Wing recommended bare minimum 11 posts out of 25 posts at Federal level. Supplementary grant amounting to Rs. 19.3 million was granted by the Finance Division in the financial year 2016-17 for purchase / repair / maintenance of CLEAN equipment to run the CLEAN smoothly. Testing / repair of the equipment have been completed and the air quality monitoring stations at Pak-EPA Islamabad are now in operational phase. Recently, Pak-EPA has initiated an air quality survey in designated industrial areas of ICT viz, I-9, I-10 and Kahuta Industrial Triangle since lst February, 2018.

98. *Ms. Asyia Naz Tanoli:

Will the Minister for Railways be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a plan was made by the Government to purchase new locomotives during the year 2014-15; if so, the arrangements made in this connection so far;

(b) whether the relevant tender has been floated in the National and International Press;

(c) the total number of firms/companies have submitted their bids so far alongwith names and addresses of directors of the said firms/ companies; and

(d) the total number of locomotives to be purchased?

Minister for Railways (Khawaja Saad Rafique): (a) Pakistan Railway (PR) has embarked upon modernization and capacity expansion programme under which transportation capacity of PR is being increased by employing higher speed and higher payload trains. Revised PC-1 for Procurement/Manufacture of 75 DE Locomotives was approved by ECNEC at an estimated cost of Rs. 45796 Million. Accordingly, a contract agreement amounting to US$ 213,689,509.19 was signed with M/s General Electric Company, USA on 20-06-2015 for the procurement of 18 55 (4000-4500 HP) AC/AC DE Locomotives as a result of competitive bidding. All the locomotives have been received and are in operation.

(b) The tender notice was published in the combined issues of following national newspapers on 01-10-2014:

a. The News b. Daily Nawa-i-Waqt c. Daily News d. Business Recorder

Tender was also displayed on the web sites of Pakistan Railways as well as Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

(c) The following two firms submitted their proposals by the due date and time:

i. M/s General Electric Company acting through its GE Transportation Operating Unit, 2901 East Lake Road, Erie —PA 16531 United States.

ii. M/s Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. 9301 West 55th Street, LaGrange, IL 60525, USA.

(d) Pakistan Railways has procured fifty five (55) D.E. Locomotives of 4000-4500 HP. All the locomotives have been shipped from USA in 2016-17 & 2017-18. After tests & trials, these locomotives had been put in operation.

Twenty (20) DE locomotives of 2000 HP have been ordered from M/s. G.E, USA on 07-06-2017 which will be shipped to Pakistan from March 2019 to May 2019.

99. *Mr. Asad Umar:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division be pleased to state:

(a) the percentage of Minorities Quota in the Federal Government jobs at present; and 19 (b) the implementation status of said Quota at present?

Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division: (a) The Federal Government on 26-05-2009 has decided to reserve 05% quota for employment of Minorities (Non-Muslims) to all posts across the board in the Federal Government Services/jobs to be filled by direct recruitment including CSS in addition to their participation in the open merit.

(b) All Ministries/ Divisions/ Attached Departments/ Subordinate Offices/ Autonomous/ Semi-Autonomous Bodies/ Corporations/ Regulatory Authorities etc. were directed to implement the said quota in letter and spirit vide office memoranda Nos. 4/15/94-R-II dated 13-07-2009 No. 8/2/2009-R-II dated 19-11-2009 No.4/10/2010-R-II dated 29-06-2010, No. 4/15/94-R-II dated 18-03-2011.Further, in order to implement the directions of the Supreme Court, all the Federal Secretaries of the Ministries/ Divisions were requested to kindly ensure strict implementation of the employment quota of 5% (five percent) for Minorities (Non-Muslims) in true letter and spirit as decided by the Federal Government in respect of all the departments under their administrative control vide U.O. No. 4/15/94-R-II dated 04-07-2014. Further, according to the Recruitment Policy dated 22-10-2014, all the prescribed quotas including 5% Minorities (Non-Muslims) quota is required to be reflected in the advertisement for recruitment. Further, draft advertisements to be published for recruitment are required to be submitted to Establishment Division for routing of same to the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting & National Heritage. No direct advertisement will be placed by any organization.

100. *Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi:

Will the Minister for Climate Change be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that traders and shopkeepers provide things/ food items in plastic bags causing irreparable damage to our seas, rivers and water resources; (b) if the answer to part (a) above is in the affirmative, the steps being taken by the Government to end/control the use of plastic bags? Minister for Climate Change (Mr. Mushahid Ullah Khan): (a) Yes, it is a fact that nondegradable plastic bags are being used by the traders and shopkeepers and these are notorious for choking sewer, open drainage system, 20 spoiling sanitation and creating an overall unaesthetic view of environment. Plastic bags take much longer time to degrade (not biodegrade). Under the best circumstances, high density polyethylene will take more than 20 years to degrade.

The manufacturers of the plastic bags oppose the ban on plastic bags, arguing that, employment of thousands of persons depends upon such cottage industries, which manufacture polyethylene bags. The ban will render many people jobless.

It is estimated that about 55 billion plastic shopping bags are being used each year in the country and there are about 8021 production units in the country. Approximately, 1,60,000 people are directly, and 600,000 people are indirectly dependent on this industry.

Pak-EPA has examined that different countries have addressed the plastic bags issues in the following ways:

i. Complete ban on manufacturing and use of plastic bags. ii. Increasing price of bags by levy of additional taxes or cost. iii. Promoting use of paper and cotton bags. iv. Increasing thickness of the bags. v. Banning manufacturing of non-degradable plastic bags and introduction of degradable plastic bags.

(b) The solution to control plastic bags issue could be tackled through combination of the following measures:

i. Banning manufacturing, selling and usage of non­degradable plastic bags in the country. ii. Increasing thickness of degradable bags to 30 microns. iii. Promoting use of cotton bags through awareness campaign. iv. Rationalizing tariff in favor of manufacturing of paper bags and concession on import of automatic paper by machinery.

Degradable plastic bags are classified into the following categories:

i. Oxy-degradable ii. Photo-degradable and iii. Bio-degradable. 21 Out of all the above three types, oxy-degradable is the best option as these bags gets disintegrated in presence of oxygen, whether through atmosphere or from water. In other words, these bags get destroy in the presence of air and water.

For plastic bags Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), with the approval of the Ministry of Climate Change and after vetting by Ministry of Law and Justice notified S.R.O No 5(KE/2013 “Prohibition of Non­degradable Plastic Products (manufacture, import, sale and usage) regulation 2013 (Annex-I), which prohibits the usage of plastic products in the limit of Islamabad Capital Territory, effective from 1st April 2013 with amendment in September 2015 (Annex-II).

Under the said regulations no person shall import, manufacture, stockpile, trade, supply, distribute, sell or use any scheduled plastic product which is non- degradable.

The regulations also provide that no pro-degradant additive shall be sold, distributed or imported by any company or manufacturer of scheduled plastic product without registration with Pak-EPA.

To facilitate implementation of the regulation, four companies have so far been registered with Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA). Due to this reason many major stores in Islamabad like Utility Stores, Metro cash & carry, Tehzeeb Bakers, Rahat Bakers, McDonalds and Shaheen Chemist etc. are now using environment friendly plastic shopping bags on the directions of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency. The other small shopkeepers in ICT have also been contacted by Pak-EPA to use only bio-degradable shopping bags. Furthermore Pak-EPA is making efforts to implement the Regulations in Its true letter and spirit. ICT / CDA have been requested to provide update about the number of manufacturing units in Islamabad.

Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency had held a meeting on 2nd April 2015 with Pakistan Business Council. Resultantly, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency has brought some changes/ modifications in the prohibition of said Regulations and excluded following from the schedule of amended S R.O 96(KE)12015, dated October 6th. 2015.

1. Bread bags and food packaging, including frozen food packaging. 2. Shrink-wrap, pallet-wrap, bubble-wrap. 22 3. Woven plastic bags. 4. BOPP, CPP and metalized plastic films. 5. Milk and water packaging.

A meeting was held on 9th January 2017 with traders of big outlets of different markets and Traders Association of Islamabad. Following decisions were taken in the meeting for compliance.

(a) Pak-EPA shall encourage Markazi Anjuman Tajran (MAT) Islamabad to prepare and launch the awareness campaign for the prohibition of Non-biodegradable plastic products in ICT and other steps proposed by them for the said purpose.

(b) Pak-EPA shall conduct surprise visit of markets to check status of implementation of Regulation titled, “The Prohibition of Non- Biodegradable Plastic Products (Manufacturing, Sale and Usage) Regulation 2013 and its Amendment 2015” shall take liable legal action.

(c) Trader Association of respective markets shall launch the awareness campaign in their areas and no more use of non-degradable shall be prohibited.

(d) Markazi Anjuman Tajran shall display hoardings for information and awareness regarding the use of Oxo­biodegradable shopping bags.

All markets shall display public notice of Pak-EPA in markets.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

101. *Mr. Muhammad Jamal Ud Din:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that flight operations have been stopped from Dera Ismail Khan to various parts of the country; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to restore the same? 23 Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division: (a) It is apprised that all routes on PIA network are evaluated on a regular basis to establish operational and economic viability. PIA had been operating one weekly flight on Islamabad- Peshawar-Dera Ismail khan-Zhob-Quetta-Karachi route and Islamabad­Dera Ismail Khan-Peshawar route with ATR aircraft. However due to heavy losses and low market demand the flights were suspended from October 2015.

(b) Flights to / from Dera Ismail Khan can only be operated once there is adequate potential in the market. Analysis of market presently does not reflect sizeable demand to justify route economics for flights to/from Dera Ismail Khan.

102. *Ms. Surriya Asghar:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state whether it is a fact that the people of Kalash are migrating from their native villages resulting into extinction of Kalash Culture; if so, the steps being taken by the Government to preserve the Kalash Culture?

Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb):

Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA)/ Lok Virsa

Yes, it is the fact that the people of Kalash are migrating from their native villages for the following reasons:—

i. The culture is dying because of conversion of Kalash people into Islam.

ii. Local communities living in surroundings of Kalash have moved to Kalash villages in search of better economic opportunities.

iii. Young peoples are also migrating in search of education and better livelihood opportunities.

PNCA has already included KELASH dance in National Performing Arts Group Ensemble for depicting culture of KELASH VALLEY shown to the audience of inside & outside country. 24 103. *Mrs. Shahida Rehmani:

Will the Minister for Climate Change be pleased to state:

(a) the mortality rate due to pollution in Pakistan at present; and

(b) the steps taken by the Ministry to reduce it since June, 2013?

Minister for Climate Change (Mr. Mushahid Ullah Khan): (a) After the 18th constitutional amendment, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency is mandated with its function under Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, for protection, conservation and rehabilitation of environment in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Even though the level of pollution has its share in the mortality rates across the country, but the analysis and estimation of mortality rates are out of the scope of this Agency. Therefore, the Agency does not own and have any statistical data regarding the mortality rates.

(b) Pak-EPA had notified following Rules, Regulations, Guidelines and National Environmental Quality Standards for the protection and conservation of environment:

i. Ambient Air under S.R.O. 1062(1)/2010 (Annex-I). ii. Motor Vehicle Exhaust and Noise under S.R.O. 72(KE)/2009 (Annex II). iii. Municipal and Liquid Industrial Effluents and Industrial Gaseous Emissions under S.R.O. No. 549(1)/2000 (Annex III). iv. Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 under S.R.O. 1013(1)/ 2005 (Annex-IV). v. Solid Waste Management Guidelines 2005. vi. Guidelines for Using Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF) in Cement Industry 2012. vii. Guidelines for Processing and Using Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) in Cement Industry 2012. To abate the levels of pollution, Pak-EPA took the following steps within the vicinity of ICT as per details given below: 25 1. Industrial Air Pollution

Pak EPA had conducted a detailed survey of Industrial Estate of Islamabad situated in sector I-9, I-10 and Kahuta Triangle to identify and categorize the number and types of industries (Annex-V).

There are 12 steel units which are causing pollution in Sector I-9/I-10, despite strict monitoring and legal action. Nine steel mills have installed on-line dust monitoring system, which is under monitoring by Pak-EPA and their efficiency is regularly checked.

Legal action has been initiated by Pak-EPA against the noncompliant steel mills for issuance of Environmental Protection Order and its subsequent enforcement though I CT administration.

2. Brick Kilns:

Ministry of Climate Change had worked a phased program to relocate brick kilns from Islamabad particularly in the vicinity of Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

a. Twenty-seven (27) brick kilns located in zone IV and V near to the Airport have been demolished.

b. Environmental Protection Tribunal ordered the brick kilns located within a radius of 12 Kilometer around the Airport to be shifted elsewhere and the brick kilns located beyond the radius of 12 Kilometers to 20 Kilometers will have to provide smoke control device. With the assistance of CDA and ICT sixteen (16) brick kilns have been removed and shifted to the outer periphery of ICT.

Construction of a model brick kiln unit based on Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) technology, is underway with the assistance of Swiss authorities. The brick kiln association is keen to switch over to a new technology once it is successfully demonstrated for operation in Pakistan.

3. Vehicular Emissions:

The major factor of vehicular emissions is old age diesel truck and buses. Diesel vehicles due to overloading, faulty injection nozzles and weak engine emit excessive graphite carbon (visible smoke). 26 During previous campaigns, Pak-EPA in collaboration I with Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has checked over 40,000 public and private vehicles for exhaust emissions in Islamabad.

With a view to sensitize the masses on the issue of vehicular pollution, a mass awareness campaign is being developed consisting of 10 seconds and 20 seconds media messages that will be disseminated through electronic media.

4. Hospital Waste Management

The waste produced by the medical care centers if disposed-off improperly, can pose an even greater threat than the original diseases themselves. In order to tackle the situation, Pak-EPA has taken following steps:

i. Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Islamabad under Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 issued public notices in local newspapers to all health facilities regarding hazardous waste generated,by them to dispose it in accordance with Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005 and submit its waste management report on monthly basis to Pak-EPA.

ii. Letters to 68 health facilities in ICT has been sent in August 2016, regarding regular submission of their monthly waste reports and constituting their hospital waste management team in accordance with the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005. Currently 25 hospitals are submitting The waste reports on regular basis. Further, Pak-EPA monitoring team is monitoring the health facilities for the compliance of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005. Following health ‘facilities have been monitored by Pak-EPA since 2015.

iii. Summon notice for personal hearing under-section 16(1) of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act has been issued to 18 health facilities last year for non-compliance of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005.

iv. Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency issued notice to PIMS for non-compliance of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005 on 30-01-2015 and they were directed to appear for personal hearing on 10-02-2015. Later on, a case was filed in Environmental Protection Tribunal under section 21(3)(b) of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997. 27 v. Environmental Protection Order (EPO) for personal hearing under section 16(1) of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act has been issued to 6 health facilities last year for non-compliance of Hospital waste Management Rules, 2005.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

104. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division be pleased to state the employees of the Federal Government alongwith its organizations who are entitled for medical treatment abroad at present?

Transferred to National Health Science, Regulations and Coordination Divisionfor answer on Next Rota Day.

105. *Shaikh Rohale Asghar:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state the total number of Books and Magazines in the National Library of Pakistan, Islamabad at present?

Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb): National Library maintains a collection of more than 300,000 volumes of Books & Magazines at present. The details of the Books & Magazines is attached at Annex-I. 28

106. *Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to appoint child psychiatrists for the schools of Federal Capital in order to create awareness among the students regarding changes in societies and problems being faced by them; if so, the details; if not, the reasons thereof?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): At present there is no proposal under consideration of the Government to appoint child psychiatrists for the schools of Federal Capital in order to create awareness among the students. However, the same can be considered through a policy decision.

107. *Mr. Waseem Akhtar Shaikh:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the services of teaching and non-teaching staff appointed by the Capital Administration and Development Division on 1st January 2011 on daily wages basis have not been regularized till date; 29 (b) whether it is also a fact that the notification for regularizing the services of aforesaid staff was issued on 8th February, 2013 but the same has not been implemented so far; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(c) the steps taken by the Government for regularizing the aforesaid staff?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) No. It is not a fact that services of teaching and non-teaching staff appointed by the CA&DD on 1st January 2011 on daily wages basis have not been regularized till date. However, on the recommendation of Cabinet sub Committee 443 daily wage staff (Teaching and Non-Teaching) have been regularized against available posts.

(b) It is not a fact. Number of daily wage staff (teaching & non-teaching) were not regularized due to non-availability of posts. Further the matter is still subjudiced in Islamabad High Court.

(c) The case was referred to Prime mister of Pakistan on 31-05-2016. The Prime Minister office approved that all recruitments against vacant posts in FDE be made through a competitive selection process. The daily wage may also be encouraged to appear in the competitive selection process giving them (05) extra marks in the interview as an incentive for their relevant experience.

108. *Ms. Asyia Naz Tanoli:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that outstanding dues payable to various advertising agencies for the period from January, 2009 to January, 2014 by various Ministries are still pending at present;

(b) if so, the outstanding amount alongwith the Offices/Ministries thereof;

(c) the steps being taken by the Government for payment of these dues; and 30 (d) the time by which it will be finalized?

Reply not received.

109. *Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub:

Will the Minister for Railways be pleased to state:

(a) the projects on which the Government is working in order to bring improvement for Pakistan Railways at present; and

(b) the new areas/places regarding which work is being carried out for commencing and restoring Railways service?

Minister for Railways (Khawaja Saad Rafique): (a) There are total of 37 projects included in the railway Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) portfolio for the financial year 2017-18 with total cost of Rs. 260.723 billion and an allocation of Rs. 42.900 billion. The sector-wise break-up is attached as Annex-A. The strategy of the Government has been to make balanced investment both in Infrastructure (track, signaling & telecommunication) and Rolling Stock (Locomotives, Coaches & Wagons) so as to ensure simultaneous up-gradation of both sectors.

(b) The Railway service has been started on Kohat-Rawalpindi Section with effect from 25-01-2018. The restoration of Mehran Express between Karachi-Mirpurkhas is also under consideration. 31 110. *Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state the total number of new books/ magazines purchased by the National Library of Pakistan, Islamabad during the tenure of the present Government?

Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb): Detail of books purchased and magazines subscribed for National Library of Pakistan, Islamabad during the tenure of the present Government is as under:-

111. *Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that civil awards particularly Pride of Performance have not been awarded for the year 2017; if so, reasons thereof;

(b) the time by which these awards will be bestowed; and

(c) the province-wise persons nominated for Pride of Performance for the year 2017?

Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division: (a) The process regarding conferment of Pakistan Civil Awards including President’s Award for Pride of Performance (PAPP) have been finalized by the Cabinet Division and recommendations have been submitted to President Secretariat through 32

Prime Minister’s Office for final approval. Consequent upon approval awards will be conferred on Pakistan’s Day i.e. 23rd March, 2018.

(b) Every year awards are conferred on dignitaries during Pakistan’s day i.e. 23rd March, and consequent upon approval, awards will be conferred on 23rd March, 2018.

(c) The information will be shared consequent upon receipt of approval of the President in pursuance of Article 259(2) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

112. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state the steps being taken by the Government to reorganize the infrastructure and to improve the performance of the Pakistan Television Corporation to enable it to compete with private TV channels in the country?

Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb): Pakistan Television has replaced our old cameras (of U-matic tapes) with Tapeless Digital Cameras. However, the overall terrestrial transmission is being telecasted on old mode of technology i.e. analog. A PC-1 for up-gradation of equipment worth Rs. 555.90 million has been submitted in this regard and under process for approval.

Similarly, installation of a number of new TV Boosters is also underway to expand PTV coverage for remote and far flung areas of the country.

Apart from above, following steps have also been taken to improve the performance of PTV programmes;

Special Committees of Media Professionals

Committee comprising media professionals have been formulated to ensure flow of new ideas, improve quality of programmes, increase of in-house production and acquisition of top quality software from private sector. 33

Better Coordination between Production and Marketing Teams Dedicated Marketing Teams have been constituted at all Centers to coordinate with Production Teams to produce market oriented quality content. The input of marketing professionals will now be part of programme, from Idea Conceptualization/ Development to all stages of Pre-and-Post Production. Event Cell An Event Cell has been established to plan and produce mega shows/ Marathon transmissions on national and international events and special occasions Maintenance Of Event Calendar Early event calendar has been maintained to ensure advance programme planning with reference to celebrations of national and international days, anniversaries of national heroes, legend and celebrities. Corporate Cell A Corporate Cell has been established to design sets on modern trends for Mega Shows and PTV Programmes at all PTV Centers. It will also update PTV Logos/IDs and screen graphics. Social Media Group Internet based Social Media Groups (i.e. Whats App Groups) have been created for better coordination between the dealing officials of different departments of PTVC for efficient planning, designing, production and marketing.

Competitive Fixed Point Chart Designing and finalization of competitive Fixed Point Chart having quality content resonating cultural values and building image of Pakistan, in line with the market compatibility and commercial viability.

Production/Presentation Courses Training of PTV Professionals to update their knowledge about production techniques and presentation to improve outlook of the screen, have been designed at PTV Academy.

PTV is doing its best to improve and maintain its performance level on all counts, be it production quality or value addition in content of programs. 34 113. *Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub:

Will the Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage be pleased to state: (a) the total number of Dramas, Films and Shows being telecasted on TV Channels at present alongwith the details and names thereof separately; (b) whether permission has been given thereof; if so, the name of department and dates thereof separately; (c) whether negative/positive effects on the society of these dramas, films and shows etc are analyzed while giving approval of the script; if so, the detail; if not, the reasons thereof? Reply not received.

114. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state: (a) the total number of patients of Influenza admitted in public hospitals, Islamabad at present; and (b) whether the Influenza vaccines are available in these hospitals; if so, the total quantity thereof at present?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) At present the detail of total number of patients of influenza admitted in public hospitals, in Islamabad is as under:

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) 8 patients of influenza were admitted in PIMS out of which 6 patients have been discharged and 2 patients are still admitted. Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) Total number of 44 (21 male & 23 female) suspected patients were admitted in FGPC under medical department. Out of which 10 patients were declared positive by NIH Lab, Currently there is no patients admitted in this hospital. 35

Federal General Hospital (FGH)

There is no patient of influenza admitted at present in Federal General Hospital, Islamabad. The laboratory test for confirmation of influenza is conducted in NIH.

Capital Hospital (C.H)

Currently no patient of influenza is admitted in Capital Hospital.

National Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM)

The National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad (NIRM) is a tertiary care hospital catering services to the persons with disabilities. The epidemic disease like influenza etc. is not treated in NIRM and hence the influenza vaccine is not available.

(b) The detail of availability of Influenza vaccines in the said Hospitals at present is as under:

PIMS:

The influenza vaccine is available in PIMS and being given to the patients at risk of contacting Influenza Virus. Furthermore at present Influenza Vaccine for 50 patients is available in the stock of PIMS. The consumed vaccine is replaced with the fresh new quantity so as to maintain the stock required for 50 patient’s immunization.

FGPC:

No, Influenza vaccine is available in FGPC.

FGH: The influenza vaccine is not available in Federal General Hospital, Islamabad. C.H: Influenza vaccines are not available at Capital Hospital. 36 115. *Ms. Mussarrat Ahmadzeb:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the street lights of Jinnah Avenue and Kashmir Highway are non-functional since long; (b) whether it is also a fact that lights of Peshawar Mor Interchange are non-functional at present; (c) if the answers to part (a) and (b) above are in the affirmative, the reasons thereof?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) Lights on Jinnah Avenue are under the control of Rawalpindi Development Authority as these were installed as a part of Metrobus project and not yet been handed over to Capital Development Authority. However, it is stated that most of the lights on Jinnah Avenue are in operation except a few patches. As far as Kashmir Highway lights are concerned it is stated that lights from Serena Chowk to Peshawar Mor Interchange are in operation and lights from Peshawar Mor Interchange to Golra Mor are not working as network on this portion of road has been damaged and the transformers which supply power to these lights have also been de-energized by NHA due to ongoing Metrobus extension project.

(b) The lights of Peshawar Mor Interchange have also been installed by RDA as part of Metrobus Project and these are being operated / maintained by RDA. The lights on this section mostly remain non operational and these are not being maintained properly by them.

These lights are still on the charge of Metrobus Authority RDA, Rawalpindi, Government of Punjab and are not being properly maintained.CDA is pursuing RDA to maintain these lights properly.

116. *Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division be pleased to state:

(a) the province/area-wise total number of persons who died and financial assistance has been provided by the Pakistan 37 Bait-ul-Mall (PBM) to the family members of said persons on the direction of the Prime Minister during the tenure of present Government separately;

(b) the province/area-wise total number of injured persons to whom financial assistance was provided by the PBM on the direction of the Prime Minister during the said period separately;

(c) whether it is a fact that equal amount of financial assistance has not been granted to victims of every province/area; if so, the justification thereof; and

(d) the steps being taken to remove this disparity?

Reply not received.

117. *Ms. Naseema Hafeez Panezai:

Will the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication be pleased to state:

(a) the time by which work will be started on installation of remaining towers in Pashtun Districts including Harnai, Qila Saifullah, Loralai, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Musa Khel and Quetta in Balochistan under USF and other funds; and

(b) the names of those three locations in District Pishin in particular where towers are to be installed?

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication (Ms. Anusha Rahman Ahmed Khan): (a) All towers on planned sites have been installed in the district of Haranai, Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Musa Khel in Balochistan, under USF whose details are as under: —————————————————————————————— District USF Lot No of BTSs installed —————————————————————————————— Harnai Sibi Lot 17 Qila saifulla Sibi Lot 30 —————————————————————————————— 38 —————————————————————————————— District USF Lot No of BTSs installed —————————————————————————————— Loralai Sibi Lot 31 Musa Khel Zhob Lot 23 Qilla Abdullah Pishin Lot 11 Pishin Pishin Lot 12 —————————————————————————————— (b) Under the small lots initiative USFCo has identified some additional unserved areas lying within already served areas in the districts of Pishin, Quetta and Qilla Abdullah.

The exact location of towers to be installed under small lot will be confirmed after a ground survey.

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN, The 15th February, 2018 Secretary.

PCPPI— 358(18) NA—15-2-2018—650. 1 (52nd Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Friday, the 16th February, 2018

26. Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan: (Deferred during 46th Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to refer to the Starred Question No.27 replied on 15-05-2017 and to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that some Excessive fees are being charged by the Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS) located at Sector H-8/1, Islamabad; if so, the reasons for not taking actions against responsibles thereof;

(b) the time by which such fees will be refunded to the concerned students of GSIS;

(c) the details of increase made in fees of class one to O-3 during the last three years till date by the GSIS alongwith the details thereof;

(d) the detail of increase made in annual fund of said classes during the said period by GSIS alongwith the justification and utilization thereof; and

(e) whether it is also a fact that the said increase is against the Government policy; if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) As per notified fee structure of GSIS, monthly tuition fee details are as under: 2

vi. Pre-Nursery, Nursery & KG 8,000/- vii. Grade I to V 9,000/- viii. Grade VI & VII 10,000/- ix. ‘O’ Level 15,000/- x. ‘A’ Level 20,000/-

It is apprised that Private Educational Institutions (Registration & Fee Determination) Rules, 2016 were framed and notified on 20th June, 2016 to register, regulate and to determine fees of private educational institutions in Islamabad Capital Territory in pursuance of Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions (Registration & Regulation) Act, 2013.

Major chains of private educational institutions as well as their association (namely Private Schools’ Association Islamabad) had challenged these Rules in Islamabad High Court. In July, 2016, the Court had allowed these Petitioners to charge fee on their own till the final decision of the petitions. The Court passed restraining orders that the Authority shall not take any coercive measures against them on account of fee increase. This relief is still available to these private educational institutions.

However, due to delays in the final judgment on these writ petitions, the Authority had filed Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) in the honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan against above referred interim relief to the petitioners, wherein, a three member’s bench of honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan, had directed the Registrar of the Islamabad High Court to fix the petitions in the last week of September. 2017 for final disposal. Supreme Court further directed that High Court shall dispose of these matters within a period of two weeks without fail.

In view of the above, hearing on all pending writ petitions filed against Private Educational Institutions (Registration & Fee Determination) Rules, 2016 has been completed by 22nd October, 2017 & the judgment stands reserved and is sill awaited.

(b) As stated at part (a).

(c) As per information provided by the management, annual raise in fee is around 10%, which management has claimed to be rational. 3 (d) As stated by the management, Rs. 8,000/- as annual fund is charged once at the beginning of session for sports facilities, co-curricular activities like drama, festivals, maintenance of campuses and numerous facilities provided, like science and computer laboratories, libraries, resource rooms, smart boards, technology based teaching, climate controlled class rooms and emergency medical facilities in case of accident or illness during school hours. This annual fund has not been increased in the last three years.

(e) As stated at part (a).

4. Mr. Sher Akbar Khan: (Deferred during 50th Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of applications submitted to The City Schools, Islamabad since 01-01-2017 for concession of fee in respect of siblings studying in the same schools in the light of the orders given by the Court alongwith the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that no concession has been given by the said schools to said students so far;

(c) if the answer to part (b) above is in the affirmative, the reasons thereof; and

(d) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to give concession to one out of three siblings/ students on monthly basis; if so, when it will be implemented alongwith the details thereof?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) As per information provided by the management, The City School has its own “Sibling Concession Policy” and provides fee concessions to real brothers / sisters of their students with 25% sibling concession to 3rd and onward child / children, initially for first academic year and subsequent renewal of concession to those who maintain 80% aggregated marks in final examination. 4 The management has further informed that no such application for sibling concession on the basis of order passed by the court is ever received by The City School from any of the parent nor any court order is ever served upon The City School nor The City School is aware of any such order in respect of sibling concession which is holding field.

(b) As stated at part (a) above.

(c) As stated at part (a) above.

(d) No such proposal is under consideration, at present.

7. Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti: (Deferred during 51st Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Aviation Division be pleased to state whether it is a fact that the project of New Islamabad International Airport is being delayed; if so, the reasons alongwith the responsibles thereof?

Reply not received.

15. Ms. Saman Sultana Jaffri: (Deferred during 51st Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state the total number of sibling students studying in The City Schools, Islamabad at present alongwith the school-wise details thereof?

Reply not received.

48. Mr. Abdul Waseem: (Deferred during 51st Session)

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) the names of projects being implemented by the Government for the welfare of special persons; 5 (b) the location-wise said projects are functional in the provinces at present; and

(c) the total number of special persons in the country according to recent population census?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): Directorate General of Special Education

(a) After 18th Constitutional Amendment some ministries included M/o Special Education and Social Welfare were devolved and Capital Administration & Development Division was established to supervise the departments of devolved ministries and working area was restricted in Islamabad Capital Territory only. Now DGSE is the Subordinate office of CA&D Division. Therefore, Capital Administration and Development Division providing Education, training and Rehabilitation to persons with disabilities living in Islamabad Capital Territory. The Projects being implemented by Capital Administration and Development Division for the welfare of persons with disabilities is placed at Annex “A”.

(b) As after devolution of ministries the requisite information pertains to M/o Inter-Provinces Coordination (IPC).

(c) The report of recent population census is in progress however, the census report of 1998 is placed at Annex “B” for information.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

21. Mr. Siraj Muhammad Khan

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to restart the construction works of Margalla Avenue, Islamabad; if so, the details thereof; and

(b) whether it is a fact that a schedule was made to complete the construction works of said Avenue during the year 2013? 6 Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) Affirmative, for details see the enclosure.

(b) The project was planned to be completed till 10-06-2013 but the target could not be achieved due to site possession issues, financial constraints and continuous litigation by the contractor.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

22. Ms. Surriya Asghar

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) the names of the training institutions/academies working under the Capital Administration and Development Division for capacity building of its employees at present;

(b) the details of teaching faculty of the said institutions alongwith their qualifications and experiences;

(c) the syllabus being taught in the said institutions at present;

(d) the institution and post-wise number of employees trained during the financial year 2015-16;

(e) the institution-wise total expenditures incurred thereon; and

(f) the steps being taken by the Government to improve the institutional capacity of the said institutions/academies?

Reply not received.

23. Ms. Surriya Asghar

Will the Minister for Climate Change be pleased to state:

(a) the names of the training institutions/academies working under the Climate Change Division for capacity building of its employees at present; 7 (b) the details of teaching faculty of the said institutions alongwith their qualifications and experiences; (c) the syllabus being taught in the said institutions at present; (d) the institution and post-wise number of employees trained during the financial year 2015-16; (e) the institution-wise total expenditures incurred thereon; and (f) the steps being taken by the Government to improve the institutional capacity of the said institutions/academies? Minister for Climate Change (Mr. Mushahid Ullah Khan): (a) At present, one training institution “National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)” is working under National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). NIDMA is established under National Disaster Management Act 2010. However, the institution is not notified and no dedicated resources are held including Human Resource for undertaking regular trainings. NIDM is also in a wanting state for its purpose build campus or facility. It is presently housed in Ministry of Climate Change Building with no space for establishing lecture rooms / labs and other related training paraphernalia.

(b) No Dedicated / Posted Faculty is held in NIDM. However, detail of teaching faculty of the said NIDM is at Annex-I.

(c) Following syllabus is taught in major courses/ trainings in NIDM:

i. Role of Media in Disaster Management. ii. Emergency Preparedness & Response. iii. Enumerator Training on MIRA (Multi Impact Rapid Assessment). iv. Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Development Process. v. Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms of State Disaster Management Authority. vi. Emergency Preparedness & Response. vii. Flood Mitigation. viii. District Disaster Risk Management Planning 8 ix. Disaster Risk Management x. Disaster Response Simulation Exercise xi. Disaster Reporting xii. Disaster Risk Management for Women xiii. Green Recovery & Reconstruction Toolkit xiv. Green Recovery & Reconstruction Toolkit xv. Disaster Risk Management xvi. Disaster Reporting xvii. Climate Risk Management xviii. Capacity Building Programme xix. Camp Coordination and Camp Management xx. Project Formulation, Report Writing and Formulation of PC (s) and Approval Process xxi. Government Officials Capacity Building Training/ Exercise (d) Total 500 officials have been trained during the financial year 2015-16. These included Government Officers at District Level and line departments, INGOs and NGOs. (e) All expenses were met out of donor funding. (f) Steps Taken to Improve Institutional Capacity: A number of steps have been taken by the NDMA management to build minimum essential capacity and capability for undertaking Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) related capacity building by NIDM. These include:— i. Transfer of NDMA qualified Staff with Posts to NIDM for initiating the capacity building process. ii. Accrual of funding from different donor agencies including World Food Program (WFP) and others for undertaking capacity building of vulnerable communities and related government officials. iii. Miscellaneous other administrative / technical support to the institution for its smooth functioning. Recommendations are as following:— i. Building Infrastructure / accommodation for NIDM. 9 ii. Notification of the Institution for long term sustainability including dedicated funding and resources. 10 24. Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that cat’s eyes/rumble strips made of steel have been installed on the roads of Islamabad;

(b) if so, whether city’s administrators have taken notice of damages occurred to vehicles owing to installment of said gadgets on consistent basis; and

(c) the steps are being taken to install cat’s eyes/rumble strips made of plastic and rationalize their placement at the earliest?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) Yes, it is fact that, CDA has installed Metal (Aluminum) cat eyes/rumble strips at selective locations with the consent of the Traffic Engineering Cell CDA, in order to control vehicle’s speed, especially near schools, hospitals and zebra crossings around markets.

(b) CDA had been using normal low profile plastic cat eyes as rumbles strips since long but most of the commuter did not bother to reduce speed, thus resulted in severe accidents. In order to safeguard the precious lives of pedestrians, CDA decided to use raised profile metal cat eyes especially near schools and mosques etc. So for as damage to vehicles is concerned no incident has yet been reported by any quarter.

(c) Presently, further installation of aluminum cat eyes/rumble strip has been stopped forthwith however, existing rumbles will be rationalized and will be replaced with plastic cat eyes gradually.

25. Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi:

Will the Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that rule 47 of Rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) makes it mandatory for a procuring agency to make all contracts public which are awarded under said Rules; 11 (b) whether it is also a fact that Regulation No. S.R.O. 1170(1)/ 2009 dated July 9, 2009 issued under the said Rules provides that only contracts exceeding fifty million rupees will be made public;

(c) if the answer to part (b) above is in the affirmative, whether the PPRA has taken notice of the said discrepancy in the Rules and Regulations; if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether it is further a fact that this is tantamount to undermine the concept of transparency of those contracts which are awarded on less than fifty million rupees;

(e) if so, the steps are being taken to remove the said discrepancy at the earliest?

Reply not received.

26. Mr. Sher Akbar Khan

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that street between Golden and Al-Habib Markets in front of Islamabad Model School (I-V), Sector G-7/3-3 has not been repaired since long;

(b) if so, the time by which said street will be repaired; and

(c) the time by which the drainage lines along sides of the said street will be replaced/ repaired/ reconstructed?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) Although, Street Nos. 55 & 56 between Golden and Al-Habib Markets in front of Model School, Sector G-7/3-3 were carpeted a decade ago but still in working condition. However, minor wear & tear is obvious and repair maintenance is being carried out on regular bases, through departmental labour. 12 (b) Necessary patchwork will be carried out within a week time, where required. (c) Strom Drainage System (SDS) already exist in Street # 56 and presently functional properly however, minor repair/ maintenance of grating chambers will be carried out in a week time, where required. 27. Mr. Sher Akbar Khan Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Quarter No. 286-C, Sector G-7/3-3 is in a dilapidated condition since long; if so, the reasons and details thereof; and (b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the concerned department to repair and renovate the said Quarter within three months; if not, the reasons thereof?

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) Yes, it is fact that said house is in depilated condition as these houses were constructed 03 to 04 decades ago. As for as this house is concerned no application regarding repair / maintenance work received so far.

(b) Estimates for repair / maintenance works are prepared on the receipt of application and copy of allotment letter from the occupants. Estimate for repair / maintenance of said house will be prepared after the application from the occupant and the work will be taken up accordingly.

28. Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a project of Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of 30 beds was launched in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad; if so, the present status thereof; and (b) whether it is also a fact that said project was initiated with the collaboration of PIDSA (the Italian donor)? 13 Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a)

 The project of Bone Marrow Transplant Centre at PIMS

 was approved with the cost of Rs. 43.344 million on 26-03-2013. The project completion period was 12 months.

 The project was started on 26-03-2013, extending up to 30-06-2017.

 There was an allocation of Rs. 16.630 million for purchase of equipment against which Rs. 14.122 million equipment purchased.

 There was an allocation of Rs. 5.660 million for purchase of furniture against which Rs. 5.574 million furniture purchased.

 There was a component of salaries of staff (01 year) amounting to Rs. 15.238 million in the PC-I. Against this component Rs. 10.140 million were made for the salary up to 30-06-2017.

 The project has been completed and the PC-IV of the said project has been approved and the project is functioning.

 A detail summary and financial phasing and (Expenditure is attached at Annex-A.

(b) It is not fact that this project was initiated with the collaboration of PIDSA (the Italian donor). However, the existing facility of Bone Marrow Transplantation was sponsored by Cure 2 Children Foundation. The salaries of the personnel were also paid by C2C. (Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

29. Mr. Junaid Akbar Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that potable water is not being supplied to the residents of Street No.65, Sector G-6/4, Islamabad since long; if so, the reasons thereof;

(b) the time by which potable water will be supplied to said residents? 14 Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (Dr. Tariq Fazal Chudhary): (a) it is stated that the potable water is being supplied to the residents of Sector G-6 including Street No.65, G-6/4, Islamabad on alternate day basis. The present shortage of water mainly caused due to depletion of water at the sources, resultantly, 50% cut has been imposed upon drawl of water from Simly Dam to prolong the usage of available water till the normalization of water at the sources. (b) MCI / CDA are making all-out efforts to fulfill the Present minimum requirements from available resources. Shortages of water complaints received from the general public are being catered through a fleet of tankers.

30. Mr. Junaid Akbar Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state whether the Capital Development Authority has prepared the list of affectees of Sector E- 12 Islamabad according to the survey conducted by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly during the year 2017; if so, the details including names and father’s names thereof? Reply not received.

31. Mr. Waseem Akhtar Shaikh Will the Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division be pleased to state: (a) whether basic facilities are not available at Badminton Club Community Centre, Sector G-9/2, Islamabad; if so, the reasons thereof; and (b) the time by which all facilities will be provided at the said Club? Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division: (a) Community Centre G-9/2 provides venue for marriages & other functions to the F.G employees and their dependants. Although there is no provision of proper badminton court at Community Centre G-9/2, the marriage hall is often used for playing badminton by the F.G employees and their dependants when it is not booked for any event. (b) There is no plan to provide proper badminton court at Community Centre G-9/2, Islamabad due to shortage of space. However, a proper badminton court is available at Ch. Rehmat Ali Community Centre G-7, Islamabad. 15 32. Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan

Will the Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division be pleased to state: (a) the total number of applications received in the Federal Government Employees Benevolent and Group Insurance Funds, Islamabad for fee refund of D-Pharmacy during the period from 1st November 2017 to 30th November, 2017 alongwith the details including names of applicants thereof; (b) whether some objections have been raised on said applications; if so, the details thereof; (c) the names of courier services through which rejected applications out of said were returned alongwith the details thereof separately; and (d) the time by which said fee will be refunded?

Minister In-charge of the Establishment Division: (a) Four (04) fee reimbursement claims of D-Pharmacy were received from 1st November, 2017 to 30th November, 2017. The name and designation of applicants are as under: (i) Mr. Lutfullah, Private Secretary, CDA (ii) Mr. Saeed Ahmed, Postal Clerk, Pakistan Post, Abbotabad. (iii) Mr. Salahuddin Khan, Inspector, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). (iv) Mr. Abdul Nasir, Senior Auditor, Pakistan Military Accounts Department (PMAD) (b) Objections have been raised on two (02) applications due to missing vital documents / information. Detail is as under: —————————————————————————————— S. No. Name and Designation Objections —————————————————————————————— (i) Mr. Lutfullah, Private Paid challan and result card Secretary, CDA are not verified by concerned university. (ii) Mr. Salahuddin Khan, Paid challan, detail of fee and Inspector, FBR. result are not verified. —————————————————————————————— 16 (c) No claim out of 4 claims has been rejected. However, FEB & GIF uses Urgent Mail Service (UMS) of Pakistan Post to convey objections and call missing documents / information. (d) As soon as verified requisite documents / information are received from the applicants, the cases will immediately be disposed of in the light of provisions of FEBF & GI Act, 1969 and FEB & GIF Rules, 1972 made thereunder. 33. Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan

Will the Minister In-charge of the Capital Administration and Development Division be pleased to state: (a) the total number of sibling students studying in the Global System of Integrated Studies at present; (b) the total number of applications submitted by said students for concession of fee in the light of the orders given by the Court since 01-01-2017 alongwith the details thereof; (c) whether it is a fact that no concession has been given by the said schools to said students so far; (d) if the answer of (b) above is in the affirmative, the reasons thereof; (e) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to give concession to one out of three sibling students on monthly basis; if so, when it will be implemented alongwith the details thereof; and (f) whether the overcharged fee will be refunded?

Reply not received.

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN, The 15th February, 2018. Secretary.

PCPPI—358(18) NA—15-02-2018—650.