Senate Standing Committee on Devolution Process has expressed serious concerns over the non-implementation on the decisions of Council of Common Interests (CCI). The committee met here with Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo in the chair at Parliament House on Wednesday. Senator Taj Haider said that the job of the CCI was to take decisions but the federal government did not implement these decisions.
He said that the Sindh government established Sindh Revenue Board for tax collection and the board achieved its targets, while Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) could not achieve its targets. He said that Sindh government had given powers to Ranger to maintain law and order in the province but it could not achieve its targets. He said that Sindh government was spending Rs 65 billion on law and order every year. Ayesha Raza Farooq said that the provinces have CCI as forum for expressing their reservations, adding that we should strengthen institutions by implementing their decisions.
Later, an in-camera meeting of the Special Committee on Devolution Process was held to consider a report of its sub-committee. The committee thoroughly discussed and debated different aspects of the report. The meeting was presided over by its convener Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo. The committee finalized its recommendations in light of the report of the sub-committee regarding review by the Senate and nominations to various policy and administrative boards, councils envisaged under various acts of the parliament for ensuring equal representation to all provinces.
The committee members also discussed amendments to rules to supervise the process of devolution under the 18th amendment. According to the suggested amendments, "the functions of the committee on Devolution" will be to "review, on a continuous basis, implementation of devolution scheme as envisaged in the Constitution; identify and make remedial recommendations where the Constitution (18th Amendment) Act, 2010 has been deviated from, circumvented or not implemented, identify and make recommendations to such aspects of the implementation plan/process which due to administrative or lack of law or for any other reasons is facing or likely to face difficulty in its implementation.
The committee on a regular basis, will "seek the views of the federal government, provincial governments and or any division, department, autonomous or semi-autonomous body/bodies related with or pertaining to the process of implementation of the Constitution (18th Amendment) Act, 2010 to evaluate and oversee the implementation status" of the act.
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