Accusing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of encroaching on their jurisdictions, the parliamentary Committee on Development and the Committee on Women, Children and Social Welfare (CWCSW) have decided to complain to Speaker Subas Nembang.[break]
"The way the PAC is holding discussions on issues that fall under the jurisdiction of other committees has invited anarchy," Jitendra Prasad Sonar, chairman of the committee on development, told Republica. "We have decided to talk to the speaker in this connection Monday."
He said the committee may issue a circular to the ministries and government agencies that fall under its jurisdiction to not respond to other parliament committees. "We will go to that extent if the same tendency is repeated in future," Sonar said.
The committee was annoyed by the PAC after the latter held discussions on issues related to the construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai fast-track road and the Janta Aavas Program run under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.
The PAC on Thursday summoned Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Defense Secretary Nabin Kumar Ghimire, Secretary at MoPPW Purna Kadariya and Brigadier General Naresh Basnet to seek clarifications on different issues related to implementation of the much-touted north-south expressway project.
The committee on development had held several rounds of discussions on the same issue last year. Officials at the committee´s secretariat said the PAC ´interfered in their business´ while they were following up on the road construction and the Janta Aavas Program.
In similar fashion, the committee on women, children and social welfare has also objected seriously to the PAC´s decision to study the issues related to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare.
The PAC last week summoned the minister for women, children and social welfare and grilled senior officials of the ministry in connection with some irregularities at the ministry. The committee also formed a five-member subcommittee headed by Maoist lawmaker Navaraj Dhami to probe the irregularities.
"We have decided to talk to the speaker on Monday about the PAC interfering in our jurisdiction," Sandhya Devi, chairperson of the CWCSW, told Republica. She said her committee had already formed a subcommittee to probe the same matter.
However, Ram Krishna Yadav, chairman of the PAC, countered the other committees´ allegations. He said the PAC has been carrying out its activities as per the mandate given to it by parliamentary regulations.
"We have not interfered in any committee´s mandate. Every issue that we have raised so far falls under our jurisdiction," Yadav claimed.
This is not the first time that the PAC, which is the most active of all the parliamentary committees, is being accused of exceeding its mandate. Last year, the Committee on Natural Resources and Means (CNRM) had complained seriously against it. The CNRM expressed its objections when the PAC took up issues related to resorts operating inside Chitwan National Park and other matters concerning the Ministry of Energy.
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