Senate Body directs concerned ministry for smooth supply of daily use items at USC

27 Jun, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on industries and Production has directed the concerned ministry for ensuring the smooth supply of quality daily use items at Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets during the Holy month of Ramzan for the relief of consumers.

The committee which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan also directed the three major local automobile companies including Toyota, Honda and Suzuki for submitting the details of booking, payments and additional charges received by the companies from the people during last five years.

The committee discussed the subsidy on essential commodities under Ramzan Package announced by the government in Utility Stores Corporation and also discussed the performance of Export Processing Zone Authority and delay in delivery of car to Senator Zahid Khan despite 100 percent payments.

The Managing Director of USC told the meting that government has announced Rs. 2 billion subsidy under Ramzan Package while the USC was providing 1.62 billion subsidies on 17 different items adding that the amount of subsidy would be increased to Rs.2 billion as according to the demand.

He informed that the Corporation has fixed Rs.22 billion sale target during this year and 5,939 country wide outlets had started the sale from June 23, 2014 under Ramzan Package.

The Senator criticized the auto companies for not delivering the vehicles to the owners despite payments and minting money by using different tactics.

Senator Ilyas Bilour was of the view that despite full payments for purchase of vehicles, these companies keep the money of the people with them for six months and use for other purposes.

Resident Director of the Toyota Company told the meeting that the companies have their own mechanism of operation and the company changes the model after every five years and after every three year minor changes are also being made.

He told the committee those two years before they formulated a policy and according to it the company is bound to deliver the purchased vehicle to owner with i fifteen days.

Sardar Fath Muhammad Muhammad Hassani suggested for constituting a sub committee to look into the affairs of these auto companies and submit its report with in one month.

The General Manager of Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) apprised the committee of the performance and functioning of his organization and the problems being faced by it.

He told the committe that the organization has its board of directors head by a chairman and eight members and there are 790 employees out of which 143 officers while 647 are staff members.

The meeting was informed that EPZA has established seven zones in the country including one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two each in other provinces.

Secretary Industries told the committee that only Karachi zone is functioning while rest zones are not operating.

Sardar Fath Muhammd Muhammad Hassani regretted that poor performance of Balochistan Zone and observed that only three persons are working there.

Those who attended the meeting were Senators, Sardar Fath Muhammad Muhammad Hassani, Ilyas Bilour, Muhammad Idress Khan Safi and Muhammad Zahid Khan besides Secretary Industries, MD USC, GM EPZA and Resident Director of Toyota Company.

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