Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has unanimously approved the proposal of recycling plant for sacred papers and the construction of Hajj Complex in Lahore.
Chairing the meeting, Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim took the briefing on the Public Sector Development programme (PSDP) for the next financial year 2022-23, here at the Parliament House, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the ministry of religious affairs proposed the establishment of a recycling plant for disposal of sacred papers of the Holy Quran in Islamabad. It said to avoid allegations and incidents of blasphemy, the sacred papers were required to be disposed of in an appropriate and respectful manner.
The committee was informed that the new recycled paper would be reserved for further utilization in printing of the holy books only.
The religious affairs secretary Sardar Ajaz Ahmad Jaffar apprised the committee that the budgetary proposal of the acquisition of land and construction for the establishment of sacred papers recycling plant is Rs499.792 million for the year 2022-23. The duration of the project was one year and so far it is unapproved.
He informed the committee that the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) had already approved the project. On a query of the committee members on the process of recycling, he informed that the process would include pulping, deinking and new paper making. The ink would be removed in a flotation process where air would be blown into the solution. The ink would rise to the surface in adherence to bubbles of air from where it would be separated. After the ink was separated, the fiber may be bleached, usually with hydrogen peroxide, oxygen or chlorine dioxide.
Meanwhile, he informed that the ministry had 57 canals of land in Harbans Pura, Lahore for new building of Hajj Complex which could be utilized for lodging/boarding of pilgrims prior to proceed to the holy land during the Hajj season.
He informed that existing Hajj complex was operational in a rental building causing financial burden on public exchequer and did not provide up to the mark facility. A sum of Rs 758092 per month was being paid from the national exchequer for a limited space.
The ministry presented a total budgetary proposal of Rs1199.792 million for the financial year 2022-23 for approval and recommendation from the Senate panel for the acquisition of land, establishment of sacred papers recycling plant and construction of Hajj Complex in Lahore.
The meeting was attended by Senators Gurdeep Singh, Prof Sajid Mir, Naseebullah Bazai and Hafiz Abdul Karim besides senior officials from the religious affairs ministry along with its attached departments.
