LAHORE:Legislative Business Committee of the Punjab Cabinet (SCCLB) has approved several decisions including amendment in service rules for the Border Military Police (BMP), the Baloch Levy, reconstitution of Provincial Parole Board and shift in the schedules of various types of wildlife.
Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Environment Protection and Cooperatives Muhammad Basharat Raja chaired the meeting at Civil Secretariat, here on Wednesday.
Law Minister Khurram Shehzad Virk, Law Secretary Akhtar Javed, Higher Education Secretary Ahmad Raza Sarwar and Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Shahid Zaman were also present.
It was decided to amend the service rules of BMP and Baloch Levy DG Khan to give 17th scale to superintendent, 16th scale to assistant and 14th scale to stenographer like other departments.
The cabinet committee was briefed by the Home Department that last year 400 people had applied for release on parole, but due to the required imprisonment period and good conduct only 80 prisoners qualified for the consideration of which, the provincial parole board recommended release of 34 prisoners.
Chairman Committee Muhammad Basharat Raja while directing for improvement in the performance of Provincial Parole Board (PPB) said that parole survey should be conducted again in 43 prisons of Punjab. “Those who serve the prescribed sentence and have shown good conduct should be released on parole,” directed the chair. He said that it should not be given the impression that only influential people were released on parole, but the legal facility should benefit everyone except those who were involved in anti-state crimes so that the burden on prisons could be reduced.
The cabinet body also decided to mobilise the PPB according to its mandate. The meeting approved the inclusion of Chinkara, Hog Deer, Nilgai, Uryal and wild boar in the first schedule of wildlife. Meanwhile inclusion of 29 birds in the third schedule and fixation of reserve baseline prices for issuance of special hunting permits was sanctioned by the committee too. Houbara Bustard had also been temporarily shifted to the first schedule. It should be noted that the first schedule includes the wild life which can be hunted throughout the year after the government notification. The second schedule includes animals for trophy hunting, the third schedule includes protected birds whose hunting was prohibited, while the fourth schedule includes animals that were not protected at all. The meeting approved amendments to the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, the Irrigation Forest and Ecotourism Bill, establishment of the Aquaculture Development Corporation Bill and operationalisation of newly established Khanpur Cadet College, Rahim Yar Khan.