PAC, 10 more JS bodies formed

BNP’s MK Anwar, Joynal Abedin to head two committees
Staff Correspondent
The House yesterday constituted the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and 10 more standing committees, completing formation of 32 out of 48 committees so far.
BNP lawmakers MK Anwar and Joynal Abedin were appointed chiefs of the standing committee on the environment and forest and the fisheries and livestock ministries respectively.
Two more chairs of the standing committees are likely to be given to the opposition lawmakers. Another opposition lawmaker, chief of Liberal Democratic Party, Oli Ahmed, was appointed chief of the standing committee on the planning ministry on Tuesday.
With their appointments, the main opposition lawmakers were made chairman of the standing committees for the first time since restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991.
Opposition Chief Whip Joynal Abedin Faruk yesterday strongly criticised the treasury bench for incorporating the names of two BNP lawmakers in the standing committees without discussing the matter with them.
Talking to The Daily Star last night, Faruk said, “We are yet to send the names of our lawmakers for the standing committees, then how could they make our lawmakers the chiefs of two standing committees?”
Faruk along with other party lawmakers discussed the matter with BNP Chief Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office.
“We shall give a formal reaction over the formation of standing committees after the BNP parliamentary party’s meeting today,” added Faruk.
On approval of Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina, Chief Whip Abdus Shahid proposed the names of the lawmakers to form the committees and the House unanimously approved the proposals.
According to the rules of procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad, the standing committees will scrutinise the bills which will be sent to those after their placement in parliament, while PAC will deal with the audit reports placed in parliament.
AL lawmakers KH Rashiduzzaman will lead PAC, Shajahan Khan to head the standing committee on the labour and employment ministry, engineer Mosharaf Hossain to lead the committee on civil aviation and tourism ministry, Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury to head the committee on shipping ministry, Omar Faruk Chowdhury to the committee on communications ministry, Maj Gen (retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan to lead the committee on energy, power and mineral resources ministry, Meher Afroz to head the committee on women and children affairs ministry, Sayadul Haque to head the committee on food and disaster management ministry and Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury to lead the committee on textile and jute ministry.
Two posts for each of the standing committees were kept vacant for the BNP-led opposition lawmakers and the lawmakers to be elected to reserved seats for women. 
 
Courtesy of www.thedailystar.net