Minister opposes IRSA restructure plan through ordinance

ISLAMABAD: The move to restructure the Indus Rivers System Authority through the IRSA ordinance has been scuttled because of the opposition by the caretaker minister for Planning Commission and Special Initiatives in the meeting of the cabinet committee for disposal of legislative cases (CCLC) held in Islamabad.

Top officials, who were part of the meeting, told The News that Federal Minister Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed severely opposed the summary of the Ministry of Water and Resources seeking restructuring of the water regulator with the right of the federal government to appoint a chairman with no voting right but with veto powers, arguing that the ministry has put the summary without taking provincial government in the confidence. “The Water and Resources Ministry wanted the go-ahead of CCLC for federal cabinet approval seeking the promulgation of the IRSA ordinance to start restructuring and changing the prevalent composition of the water regulator.”

The Planning Commission minister posed the question as to why the water and resources ministry has moved the summary after not getting the provincial governments on board as this subject is very delicate and sensitive. However, Water Ministry Resources officials and its minister said that the consent of the four members of IRSA, which represent their respective provinces, had been attained before moving the summary. In the meeting, the Law Division said that the IRSA could be restructured by the federal government knowing the fact that the Common Council of Interests (CCI) is the forum to discuss and decide the water-related issues.

However, the top mandarins of the Water Resources Ministry said that the ministry would move the same summary to the federal cabinet for the final decision.

“In case the caretaker federal cabinet approves, it may trigger controversy at the country level putting the independence of the entity in jeopardy. Without taking the nod from provinces, main stakeholders of the country in water shares in the Indus basin system, the incumbent regime has decided to incorporate the changes in the IRSA Act to restructure the current shape of the water regulator. This may lead to an unwanted chaotic situation among the smaller provinces,” they added.