Senate approves bill on experience criteria of Nepra chairman, members

ISLAMABAD: A crucial bill was adopted by the Senate on Friday, reducing the experience criteria for chairman and members Nepra from 15-20 years to 12 and also bringing down the age limit from 65 to 60.

The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Act, 2017, already passed by National Assembly, was moved by federal Minister for Water Division Awais Leghari. The bill, on the orders of the day witnessed delay in passage for the want of quorum on the last day of the 273rd session.

The new legislation brings along a big relief for consumers, badly hit by complaints of overbilling.

The bill sailed through the House and the government did not oppose the key amendment moved by PPP Senator Salim Mandviwala, who proposed that no bureaucrat above 60 years should be made chairman or member Nepra. Mandviwala also proposed to set the experience criteria for a member or chairman as 12 instead of 15-20, which was also accepted by the government. However, he withdrew some of his amendments after two major amendments were incorporated in the piece of legislation. A major change in the proposed law deals with creation of an appellate tribunal under a retired high court judge to refer back National Electricity Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) decisions for reconsideration.

Under the existing law, Nepra decisions can only be challenged before a high court. The bill has made issuance of wrong electricity bill a criminal offence and empowered Nepra to hear, investigate and award punishment to the guilty officials and refer the case to the law enforcement agency concerned for registration of an FIR. Under the new legislation, the consumers will not have to lodge their overbilling complaints to the sub-divisional officers, executive engineers or other senior officer in any power distribution company as Nepra alone will deal with such issues. Nepra will be liable to establish offices in all districts across the country where the consumers may submit their complaints in writing. Each complaint will be decided within a period of three months. Senator Mandviwala also withdrew his amendments after the Power Division Minister said that offices at district level are need of the hour to resolve the over-billing issues.

The bill seeks establishment of an appellate tribunal which will be headed by a former judge of a high court and comprise members from the four provinces.

To ensure its independence, the tribunal will have a separate fund and will be empowered to seek external expert opinions, be they national or international. For the sake of efficiency, the decisions of the tribunal would be time bound.

However, to maintain regulatory independence, if an appeal is in relation to a tariff setting determination of Nepra, the appellate tribunal will be unable to substitute the determination of Nepra, and instead, remand the matter back to the authority with guidelines.

Meanwhile outgoing Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani said in the Senate on Friday that Senate is expected to hold it’s at least two next sessions in the hall of National Assembly.

The Upper House is set for refurbishment, for which all formalities have been met and even design ready but since the term of the incumbent chairman will end early next month; now it will be up to the new chairman to approve the planned refurbishment or amend it and then implement it. MQM Senator Ms. Nighat Mirza rose to shower praise on Rabbani for his outstanding three-year stint but quipped that the Senate hall needed his attention too. She made particular mention of the carpet in the hall and wished that light weight senators would make their way to the Senate. Upon this, Rabbani smilingly said that he was focused on the same and all formalities had been met, even tenders floated and firm short-listed out of three for the job. Now, the new chairman will implement the refurbishment plan.

Rabbani noted that three-four months were required for refurbishment and therefore, with the permission of NA Speaker, at least two Senate sessions would have to be conducted in the Lower House of the Parliament.

While presenting a very brief report of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior in the House, its Chairman Abdul Rehman Malik said that till today, the police could not make any headway with regards to the assault on senior journalist of The News Ahmad Noorani amid chants of shame, shame by some Senators.

The police, he noted, had called for another in-camera briefing to the committee, as the matter was quite complicated and no footage was also available with regards to the motobikers. Therefore, the police needed more time from the committee.

Senator Malik said the situation with regards to the attack on senior anchorperson Hamir Mir and another senior journalist Mattiullah Jan was also not different in terms of progress in probes. He insisted the police must show results. Three meetings were held: on November 17, December 14, 2017 and on February 20 this year and the police had apprised the panel of progress so far made in these three cases.