ISLAMABAD - The Upper House of the Parliament on Thursday passed the Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011 aimed at appointing special magistrates for the summary trial of cases of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration, selling of expired items of food etc in the federal capital area. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Moula Baksh Chandio moved the bill to amend the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act, 1995 for its effective implementation for the protection of consumer rights. The statement of objects and reasons of the Bill says that in order to effectively implement the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act 1995, special magistrates will be appointed under section 14 A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 to try the cases of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration, selling of expired items of food and other items unfit for human consumption or charging excess of the prices fixed by the competent authority. The bill provides efficacious remedy as well relief to the general public. Under the subsection 2 of the newly inserted section 8A of the Bill, if a special magistrate has reason to believe that any infringement or contravention of any right of consumer has been committed by any person, he may enter the place or premises where the infringement or contravention has been committed and try the same on the spot and punish the defaulter with imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or with both. Later, Leader of the House in Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, responding to the queries of Senators regarding bad conditions and mismanagement in PIMS, informed the House that report about bad state of affairs in the hospital was being called from its Executive Director and Secretary Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD). Senator Raziq Khan had brought the attention of the chair that there was severs kind of mismanagement in the state of affairs of the PIMS and it was neither facilitating the parliamentarians nor the poor masses. Haji Adeel Ahmed, on a point of order, reminded the chair about report of capital administration regarding holding of pro-military rallies in the capital that could not be laid before the House despite assurance from Leader of the House. Prof Sajid Mir and Prof Ibrahim raised the issue of low gas pressure and gas loadshedding faced by the people of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Prof Ibrahim said that the people of capital in the area of Karachi Company and its adjoining areas were facing gas load shedding from 5am morning to 12 pm at night. Bokhari said that the people were facing gas shortage because Islamabad High Court (IHC) had passed a stay order to continue supply of gas to CNG filling stations in the federal area. He asserted that the masses should go to the court to inform it about their gas problem, though the SNGPL was trying to vacate the stay order. Our governments policy is to facilitate the masses at first priority in this connection, he said adding that Chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, General Manager Sui Northern Gas Pipe Line (SNGPL) and Secretary Petroleum had been called for a meeting to solve the issue.