KABUL - The Meshrano Jirga or Senate on Tuesday decided to summon the officials concerned over increased fuel prices, corruption and frequent power load-shedding.
Safiullah Hashemi, a Meshrano Jirga or upper house of parliament member, complained at today’s about repeated load-shedding and increased fuel prices in capital Kabul.
He said residents of some parts of Kabul were deprived of electricity for 24 hours a day and people in other parts enjoyed electricity for only eight hours a day.
He also said fuel prices had usually soared with the advent of winter but the government was yet to take remedial measures.
According to Pajhwok Afghan News’s economic reports, in July one liter of petrol was sold for 38 afghanis, the same quantity of diesel for 35 afs and a kilogram of liquefied gas for 45 afghanis.
However, the current price of one liter diesel is 46afs, the same quantity of petrol price is 47afs and a kilogram of gas is 65afs.
Another senator, Nabia Mustafazada, also criticized the increase in fuel prices and said some mafia members wanted to play with people’s fate. She said mafia groups manipulated prices of essential items including fuel.
About electricity distribution in Kabul, she said no balance was observed in electricity supply to Kabul residents.
A number of other lawmakers also complained about high fuel prices and imbalanced electricity distribution in Kabul.
Second deputy chairman, Eng. Haseebullah Kalimzai, said the government should have taken measures for controlling the prices of essential items.
“Had the government taken measures to check the market, the prices of fuel would not have gone high in winter,” he said.
At the end, all senators agreed to summoning the commerce minister, DABS head and head of petroleum and gas enterprise to brief the house about the issues discussed.
The upper house also criticized the attorney general and decided to summon him in near future.
A senator from Zabul province, Zalmai Zabulai, said the attorney general office was accountable to the parliament, but the attorney general was not appearing before the parliament and even had directed his prosecutors not participate parliament sessions.
He said the attorney general office had previously announced referring 55 major corruption cases to the anti-corruption justice center, but the center followed very trivial cases.
The upper house at the end decided to summon the attorney general and officials of the anti-corruption justice center to its next meeting on Wednesday.
Attorney general office spokesman, Jamshi Rasouli, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the attorney general, Farid Hamidi, was on an official trip to a foreign country and would be unable to attend the parliament. (Pajhwok)