Environment Ministry in a fix

ISLAMABAD Some recommendations devised in the 18th Amendment would deprive the Ministry of Environment of certain powers causing uncertainty and insecurity among its employees with regard to de-federalisation of the Ministry, it was learnt on Tuesday. Debate on concurrent list, 18th Amendment that gives all powers to provinces is hot topic in the ministry these days. According to well-informed officials who are close to the developments in the Environmental Ministry, the ministry has undergone a challenging period because of prevailing insecurity among employees, who think that transfer of powers from the Ministry to the provinces in accordance with the 18th Amendment would deprived them of their rights. They said that the things were in process but the burning news that is being discussed frequently in the Ministry is that the Ministry has given gross period of a year for transferring its powers to provinces. Besides, the Ministrys employees (whether on contract or regular basis) are scared of their transfer or joblessness in future. Most of the environmental projects are pending due to prerequisite of extension and employees, who received their due salaries after long wait of 6 months are tense due to 52 percent cut in the budget of the Ministry. Consequently, Environment Ministry and its implementation agency named the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) that is running short of finances, could not bear its administrative expenditures and is not even in a position to pay dues of staff members engaged in environmental projects. Concerned officials told that the Environment Ministry was a signatory of 14th international environmental conventions that demanded implementation on national level. How can we ensure implementation of these conventions, if all powers were transferred to the provinces, they asked. They further asked how donors would distribute financial aid among provinces in a balance way if Ministrys powers are transferred to provinces. It is to be mentioned here that on March 31, 2010 Parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Reforms reached a consensus and signed the historical document of the draft bill of 18th Amendment. The 27-member committee proposed almost 100 amendments during nine months and ten days. For ensuring the provincial autonomy it was decided that 25 ministries would be handed over to provinces.