The Milli Majlis Committee for Natural Resources, Energy and Ecology conducted a meeting on 24 November; committee chairman Sadig Gurbanov let it be known that the agenda of the meeting had but one item – first-reading amendments to the Gas Supplies Law.

The Bill containing those amendments had arrived at the parliament as sent by the president of the republic; the amendments are designed to optimise the connexion of construction premises to gas distributing networks and, in this context, the differentiation between technological and physical connexions. Moreover, a new procedure is proposed for the connexions or for supplying construction premises with additional volumes of gas. There are several concretising amendments as well, according to Mr Gurbanov.

Article 1 of the law will have the new concepts of ‘a connexion service fee payment’, ‘a technological connexion’, ‘a physical connexion’ and ‘an existing gas distributing network’.

Part 12 of Article 13 will be amended to stipulate that gas installation users will be bound to pay for physical connexion to distributing networks of those construction projects that occupy the sites with no area planning documents formally affirmed. Along with that, the same article would incorporate the amendments numbered 12-1, 12-2 and 12-3.

According to Amendment 12-1, users of household gas appliances already installed in the buildings lined up for the technological connexion to an existing gas distribution network will have to pay the gas distributor the connexion service fee; this applies where approved site planning documents are available. Amendment No. 12-2 stipulates that gas distribution networks shall be connected to in accordance with Section 12-1 of Article 13 of this law for construction projects that do not meet the requirements set forth in Section 12-1 of Article 13 of this law and that are located in areas where site planning documents have been approved. And it follows from Amendment 12-3 that the amounts payable as stipulated in the paragraphs 12 and 12-1 of Article 13 of the law in question shall be determined by using an appropriate methodology.

The committee members Iltizam Yusifov and Naghif Hamzayev shared their considerations as the discussion went on. On the whole, the MPs spoke favourably of the improvements proposed in the Bill and recommended that it should be brought before the House at a meeting in plenary.

Issues du jour were discussed then. The existing problems in the national water supplies and melioration systems were addressed by committee chairman Sadig Gurbanov, his deputy Asim Mollazade and committee members Iltizam Yusifov, Naghif Hamzayev, Anar Mammadov and Mashhur Mammadov as well as Head of the Milli Majlis Staff Economic Legislation Department Muhammad Bazigov. They underlined the importance of putting new technologies to use when expending aquatic resources. Besides, the MPs commented on optimising household waste management, environmental protection and elimination of detrimental impacts upon the natural environment. Certain remarks and suggestions were made.

The other committee members Afat Hasanova, Aliabbas Salahzade, Fatma Yildirim and Mikhail Zabelin, too, were present at the meeting.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis