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Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
MPs decry 'unlivable' Parliament Lodges
Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, found himself in an uncomfortable and difficult position on Friday as several senators expressed strong frustration over the deteriorating condition of the Parliament Lodges during a meeting of the Senate House Committee. Lawmakers, visibly upset, raised multiple complaints with the minister, criticising the appalling state of infrastructure, lack of maintenance, and overall mismanagement at the lodges. Chaudhry too voiced his concerns, saying, "I'm personally troubled by a female parliamentarian living upstairs who has installed water taps in the stairwell. Someone, please have those taps removed." It was disclosed during the meeting that not even a single light bulb has been replaced in two years, while a former female senator left Parliament Lodges without paying Rs1.7 million in outstanding electricity and gas bills. The Senate House Committee meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan Nasar. During the session, Minister Talal Chaudhry responded to senators' questions. Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials briefed the committee, stating they had received 48 requests from parliamentarians for repairs, AC installations, and other work at the lodges, claiming work is underway and being carried out in line with PPRA rules. They added that 12-13 suites have been made habitable. However, Senator Kamil Ali Agha rejected the CDA's presentation, calling it "completely false." He alleged that no actual work is being done. Chairman Nasir said that action would be taken against those who haven't completed work in the past 16 months. Senator Poonjo Mal Bheel too complained that the sanitation system in Parliament Lodges is practically nonexistent, with visible filth everywhere. While the CDA DG is polite, he said, their performance is "zero." Minister Talal Chaudhry added that the Interior Minister has already suggested to the National Assembly Speaker that if CDA cannot do the job, the responsibility should be handed over to another agency. Work on 104 lodges is about to begin, and if funds are released, it will be completed in six months. "Contractors haven't been paid in two years. Following the Speaker's instructions, all senators' lodges will be repaired simultaneously. The tender for 104 lodges will be issued within two days, and lodges must be vacated for four months to carry out the work," he said. Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu raised another concern, stating that his lodge was given to a fellow female senator at the request of the Deputy Chairman. She vacated the premises overnight without paying utility bills worth Rs1.7m — Rs1.3m for electricity and Rs470,000 for gas. "I can't pay this bill," he added. Chairman Nasir responded that she is the daughter of a former Deputy Chairman of the Senate and that he personally asked her to clear the dues.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Maha recasts crop insurance: Isolated losses, post-harvest damage not covered
Nagpur: After the state govt scrapped the one-rupee crop insurance scheme this year, a formal notification bringing back the old system was issued on Tuesday. From this Kharif season, there will be no insurance claim for isolated calamities or post harvest damages. Farmers in Vidarbha will now have to pay premiums ranging from Rs470 to Rs1,100 per hectare to insure the region's staple crops like cotton, soyabean, tur, and paddy. Localised losses, as it is called in insurance terms, relates to losses in limited areas ranging from a single village to a group. Earlier, farmers could report such losses within 72 hours and get the claim. Now, these will not be covered. Similarly, even mid-season losses are not covered. These included losses in the middle of the crop cycle due to reasons like pest attacks or dry spells. Losses to crops stacked in the farms after harvest due to rains or other reasons are also not covered now, said officials. Now, losses will be measured by the earlier method of crop cutting experiments. Under this, random plots in 12 villages in a revenue circle are chosen prior to cultivation. The output in these farms is compared to the standard yield set for each crop in each district. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Зачем на ночь сжигают лавровый лист? Undo The insurance cover triggers if there is a drop compared to the threshold yield based on the averages of the last 10 years, said an official in the state's agriculture department. This is a time-tested method adopted since colonial times and covers all types of losses, said officials. However, sources accept that it can leave the farmers at a disadvantage too. The random farms are located in 12 villages, and a revenue circle can have 30 to 35 villages. In case there are no losses in the villages chosen for measuring the yield, the insurance claim will not trigger for any of the villages in the circle. The state govt, which introduced the one-rupee scheme in 2023, ended it in April this year. On Tuesday, the formal notification with the new conditions was issued. It was discontinued after huge fraudulent claims were made due to the nominal premium payable. Even barren plots were covered, and claims were made, leading to the decision, said an official. The move, however, has left farmers disappointed. Pushkar Khapre from Chandur Bazaar tehsil in Amravati, said this leaves hardly any scope for covering the losses. Only crop cutting experiments cannot be relied on; sometimes isolated losses also leave farmers in distress. Khapre represents the district's crop insurance committee. Activist Vijay Jawandhia said even the threshold yield to measure the losses needs to be revised, and crop cutting experiments should happen at each village.
