CCI meeting to discuss gas distribution, devolution of five ministries

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) is scheduled to meet on February 1, 2011 to discuss issues emanating from gas production and distribution policy 2011 and affairs of five ministries which are to be transferred to provinces under the 18th Amendment, it is learnt.
Sources told Business Recorder on Friday that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would chair the CCI meeting. The Chief Ministers of provinces, Chairman of Implementation Commission Raza Rabbani, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naveed Qamar and other officials would attend in the meeting.
Punjab is facing massive gas load shedding after stay orders of High Courts against load shedding in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Sindh High Court and KP High Court cited Article 158 of the constitution which states: "Priority of requirements of natural gas. The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from the well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day."
In this regard, sources said, the government will have to amend the constitution if it wants to share load shedding equally among all provinces. Punjab government is likely to raise this issue in the CCI meeting and to propose an amendment in Article 158 of the constitution but it most likely would be opposed by other provinces. Sources said that there is also difference of opinion among PPP parliamentarians on this issue.
They said that in the past during times of gas shortages, gas utilities used to cut supplies in other provinces to divert gas to Punjab but now they can not follow this practice after Sindh and KP High Courts'' orders. The Ministry of Petroleum held a meeting on January 24, 2011 but the issue remained unresolved and it was decided to throw the ball into the court of CCI.
According to sources, the Implementation Commission is currently discussing financial matters of five ministries, which would be transferred to the provinces. The issues relating to funding various projects and agreements of these ministries with foreign countries would be discussed in the CCI meeting.
Raza Rabbai would give a comprehensive briefing to the CCI about the transfer process of five ministries, which include Tourism, Social Welfare and Special Education, Culture, Education and Health. The Commission has reportedly decided that these ministries would be devolved to the provinces in February, 2011.
The Commission has already transferred five ministries to the provinces, which included the Ministry of Population Welfare, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ministry of Zakat, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Special Initiatives including one project for Livestock Department and Department of LG&CD.