CM seeks mechanism for smooth devolution of HEC

Sindh’s chief minister has proposed that the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination evolve a mechanism for smooth devolution of the physical and technical resources as well as assets of the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Murad Ali Shah announced the proposal on Thursday during a preparatory meeting for the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting scheduled to be held in Islamabad on Friday. Talking about the provincial HEC, the chief executive said the Sindh government was of the view that the federal HEC Ordinance 2002 should be amended and its application limited to federal territory.

He said the federal HEC should be devolved and its functions, which were now the domain of the Sindh HEC, including regulations, planning and policy of higher education institutions and their functions and assets, be transferred to the provincial HEC. The practice of funding provincial public universities directly by the federal HEC should be re-routed through the proper channel – the provincial government – until the next National Finance Commission Award, as was decided earlier, he added.

Sindh’s gas issue

The CM said Sindh produced 2,800 mmcfd gas, of which more than 1,000 mmcfd were diverted to other provinces by resorting to load-shedding in the industrial areas, which was unconstitutional and caused heavy financial losses to the people.

Referring to the constitution, he said Article 158 recognised the precedence and the first right of gas utilisation by the province that produced it, adding that Sindh’s people were denied their right.

Murad pointed out that thousands of villages across the province lacked gas and electricity, while the industrial areas were subjected to gas load-shedding. He said that if Sindh were to keep the 1,000 mmcfd, it could produce 5,000MW of electricity that would cost Rs8 per unit against the current rate of Rs15 per unit.

He said the people had demanded that the federal government let Sindh use its gas, adding that a relevant resolution would be presented in the provincial assembly. He said natural gas produced from all new discoveries and old wellheads located in a province be allocated to the respectiveprovinces, adding that the province deficient in gas production should meet their requirements by importing the commodity.

He urged the federal government to announce a province-specific Gas Allocation & Management Policy (GAMP), saying that the provincial government had prepared the draft of Sindh GAMP 2017. Discussing the draft of the national water policy, the chief executive said he would accept the new policy if the observations of the provincial government were incorporated in it.

The other items likely to be taken up in the CCI meeting include supply of gas to villages within a 5km radius of a gas field. Under this category more than 437 villages of Sindh would be given gas, but there is a dispute of payment.

The federal government wants Sindh to pay Rs2.844 million against the total expenditure of Rs3.59 million. The provincial government has urged the Centre to meet all the expenditures.