Gas pilferers to face fine, jail term

ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of the Parliament on Friday adopted two reports of Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum Levy (Amendment) bill, 2011 and Gas Infrastructure Development Cess bill, 2011.

Ishaq Dar on behalf of Chairman of the committee Ahmed Ali moved the presented report in the House and sought census of the House over the recommendations made by the committee for incorporation in the bill.

The two reports were adopted by the House, however, Senators Ishaq Dar, Safdar Abbasi and Azam Swati said that the two bills were not money bill but since the National Assembly has declared it money bill so under the constitution the Senate cannot change the status of the bills.

Dr. Safdar Abbasi on gave dissent note over the bills said that these were introduced without the approval of the cabinet as envisaged under rule 27(5) of the rules of business 1973.

He said that bill has been introduced as a money bill in complete contradiction to the actual definition of money bill.

Chairman of the Senate Farooq H Naek said that under the constitution the speaker national assembly is a right person to declare whether a bill is money bill or not.

The committee in its report recommended that the gas infrastructure development cess chargeable from the gas consumers, other than the domestic sector consumer, of the company over and above the fixed sale price and payable under section 3.

The petroleum levy bill was approved as proposed by Minster for Finance Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

The two reports over the money bills were adopted and referred to the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr. Asim Hussain moved The Criminal Law (amendment) bill, 2011 as reported by the Standing Committee in the House.

The bill proposes strict punishment to curb the practices of oil and gas theft and suggest rigorous imprisonment to a person who damage or destruct any transmission or transportation lines by an act of subversion by explosive material or in any other manner.

The House passed The Criminal Law (amendment) bill, 2011 as moved by Dr. Asim Hussain to amend the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

The National University of Modern languages (amendment) bill, 2011 was referred to the committee for a report within 15.

The House passed the National Database and Registration Authority (amendment) bill, 2010 of Interior Minister Rehman Malik. (APP)