KARACHI-Sindh Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed ‘The Sindh Regulation of Electric Power Services Bill, 2023’, paving the way for establishment of the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority (SEPRA) on the pattern of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh presented the bill after the law, parliamentary affairs and human rights standing committee member Ghanwer Ali Khan Isran moved the report. The SEPRA was aimed at improving energy equity and eliminating energy poverty in the province.
The SEPRA would be empowered to grant, issue, notify, entered, renew and cancel licenses for the electric power services as well as to regulate the electric power services in the province. The SEPRA would also determine the terms and conditions of the supply including tariff, rates, charges and regulate the inter-province transmission of electricity. Through the bill, the SEPRA was empowered to develop, undertake and approve the electric power services without any financial limit and to adjudicate upon disputes between the licensees. It would also specify provincial grid, transmission, distribution and supply codes having regard to national and international standards.
The SEPRA would also specify and enforce the standards with respect to quality, services, continuity and reliability of electric power service licensees as well as issue guidelines, procedures and standards operating procedure for electric power service licensees. The SEPRA would be empowered to open and operate bank accounts in local and foreign currencies as permissible under the laws of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah on informed the provincial assembly that thousands of newly appointed teachers had not been provided salaries for the last 11 months due to what he called lethargy of accountant general office. Replying to a point of order raised by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan, the minister said that 60,000 teachers had been recruited recently in the education department. He said that it had become very difficult for the accountant general office to accommodate the newly appointees in such numbers and release their salaries after fulfilling all required formalities.
The minister said that the education department had provided required database to the accountant general office which he said was able to cater just up to 200 teachers per day.
Sardar Shah went on to say that the recruitment was done ‘purely on merit’, adding that he would resign as the education minister if any discrimination was found in the process.
Sardar Shah said that he himself was monitoring the matter and the issue had been resolved in most of the districts.
“Don’t indulge in Karachi and rest of Sindh discussion,” he told to the MQM-P lawmaker who said that the teachers were compelled to say that they were deprived of their as they belonged to Karachi.
Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan in his point of order maintained that the teachers were appointed 11 months ago and they were not given salaries since then. He said that the affected teachers approached the Muttahida MPAs many times and they took up the matter with the education minister but to no avail.
“It is felt that the teachers were deprived of their salaries as they belonged to Karachi,” he added.

Opposition leader’s leave application rejected

Meanwhile, the Sindh Assembly rejected the leave application submitted by Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s all lawmakers had not been coming to attend the assembly session after 9th May’s violent incidents. Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani presented the opposition leader’s leave application before the house and the same was rejected as the Pakistan Peoples Party legislators opposed it.
The Speaker said that it was requirement for the members to be present in the session or submit leave application, if have any other important engagements.
“The house should take action against those members who neither coming to the assembly nor submitting leave application.

SZABIST upgraded as varsity

Separately, the assembly unanimously passed The SZABIST University Bill, 2023 for upgrading the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Information, Science and Technology to a varsity. Later, the house was adjourned to Thursday.