LAHORE: Acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani on Friday lashed out at the bureaucracy and adjourned the question hour about the Health Department’s performance when he come to know that despite his instructions, the provincial health secretary was absent from the proceedings.Expressing his displeasure over the secretary’s absence, Gorchani said bureaucracy was not taking the assembly matters seriously and should desist from this behaviour. He advised to hold another session on Health Department next week, which the secretary must attend. The house started Question Hour in the presence of Parliamentary Secretary (PS) for Health Khawaja Imran Nazir and health adviser to Chief Minister, Khawaja Salman Rafique. But treasury member Allama Ghiasuddin pointed out the absence of the Punjab health secretary. The chair asked Imran about the secretary, who tried to defend him but remained unsuccessful. Imran told the chair that the secretary was in Rawalpindi since Thursday and would stay there on the directions of Punjab chief minister to prevent the outbreak of dengue. This answer infuriated the chair and it said that the bureaucracy was not taking the House seriously, which is unacceptable. The acting speaker adjourned the Question Hour until next week.On a point of order, opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed appreciated the acting speaker for his “daring” act to “discipline” bureaucracy and expressed the hope that bureaucrats would now attend assembly proceedings whenever they are called. The opposition leader also asked about the status of his privilege motion related to the issue of the distribution of development funds by the rulers of Punjab allegedly to the treasury members only. He emphasised that it was his privilege and right to get equal development funds from the government equal to any other treasury member, as he was also an elected representative of his constituency. He said the government was ignoring the opposition members in the distribution of development funds, allocating them to PML-N members only. Gorchani observed that the chief minister has some powers to release funds to any MPA. On this ruling, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) member Sardar Shahabuddin said the chief minister had not fulfilled his commitment to release development funds, therefore he would not sit in the House as a protest and walked out. All opposition members of PTI, including the opposition leader, left the House with him. Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) members Sardar Hasan Moakal and Ahmad Shah Khagga did not participate in the walkout. Spokesman of the Punjab government, Zaeem Qadri, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Nazar Hussain Gondal and Privilege Committee Chairman Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar endorsed the chair’s ruling, terming it constitutional and legal. Later, the House was opened for general discussion on the Punjab Public Service Commission and TEVTA’s audit reports in which Sabtain Khan, Mian Rafiq, Munawar Ghous and other members participated. Sabtain suggested the government that it should divide the province in rural and urban zones as Sindh,and Balochistan provinces are already divided to accommodate deprived people in the jobs. The acting speaker appreciated this suggestion with the advise to Sabtain for moving a resolution in the House as it was a voice of mostly members here. Later, the house was adjourned till Monday.Separately, annual elections of Punjab Assembly Women Caucus Committee were held in the committee room which was contested by two groups. Dr Farzana Nazir and Tehsin Fawad of the treasury benches won the seats of convener and secretary, respectively. Dr Farzana bagged 30 votes against Kanwal’s 27 votes. PTI’s Sadia Sohail Rana was elected treasurer, unopposed.