LAHORE Ill-prepared and non-serious senior minister Raja Riaz annoyed not only opposition legislators but also forced speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal to advise him to use parliamentary language while answering to supplementary queries during question hour on Irrigation and Power at the Punjab Assembly floor on Friday. The senior minister used derogatory remarks while referring to opposition legislator and senior parliamentarian Amer Sultan Cheema that caused uproar and forced the chair to expunge the words from proceedings. At a later stage, opposition legislator Seemal Kamran staged a walk out for what she said against attitude and remarks of senior minister. On returning to the assembly on the intervention of the speaker, annoyed lady MPA refused to take answer on her supplementary question. Amer Sultan Cheema, who has served as minister for irrigation in the previous regime, asked the minister to tell the Assembly that why government spent money on patchwork soon after the completion of a new project in Sargodha division. On the insistence of minister that no money was spent on patchwork, Cheema said that it was clearly mentioned in the answer submitted to the assembly. The chair suggested the minister to investigate the matter, saying that he would also check that whether it was printing mistake. To another supplementary question of the same legislator, the minister said that the department has recommended installation of 22 tubewells in brackish areas of Sargodha division. He said that the department has so far paid electrification charges of 14 tubewells to FESCO and out of these 09 were functional. To the claims of Amer Cheema that the ground reality was otherwise, the minister insisted that 09 tubewells were functional. To another question regarding construction of nullas in brackish areas, Raja Riaz said that the government has so far completed one nulla and considering several other such projects under Annual Development Programme. The minister, however, failed to satisfy the legislator about the exact location of newly constructed nulla. He also failed to give number of letter written to the revenue department for waiving off agriculture levy in flood hit areas. While admitting drainage of sewerage water in irrigation channels, the minister said that the people were carrying out activity illegally but the department could not guard the entire network round the clock. To the suggestion of the chair to chalk out a comprehensive plan with the collaboration of relative department, the minister assured the house to take steps for controlling water contamination. On the suggestion of opposition leader Ch Zaheer-ud-Din to issue an administrative order to the officials concerned at the assembly floor, the minister said that such strong orders could not be passed without adopting proper procedure. Ali Asghar Manda said that drainage of industrial waste and sewerage water in water channels was damaging crops and causing serious health hazards not only among human beings but also cattleheads. He stressed upon taking immediate measures to stop drainage of hazardous waste in water channels. He said that the law existed but there was need of its implementation. The minister assured the house that a stringent action would be taken against the persons involved in draining wastewater in water channels. To a question of Khawaja Islam regarding construction of small dams in the province, the minister said that 12 such reservoirs were under construction. He also informed the house about their status on October 9, 2009, the time of filing question. To a supplementary query regarding present situation, the minister provided the information that depicted less work at a couple of projects as compared to the previous stage. On the question of the legislator that how it could happen, the minister was clueless that caused laughter at the assembly floor. The minister said that he would check that how he got the wrong information from the department.