Scope of Punjab Safe Cities Project to be expanded: CM

Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala to be included in the project

LAHORE

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif presided over a meeting of the Provincial Cabinet Committee on Law and Order in which steps for improving police system, overall law and order and the measures taken for protection of life and property of the people were reviewed in detail. 

According to a handout issued on Saturday, the meeting decided to expand the scope of Punjab Safe Cities Project and convert police stations into model police stations in Punjab. 

Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said first phase of Safe City Project would be completed in October in Lahore and under phase-wise programme, this project would start working throughout Lahore in the beginning of 2017.  He said safe cities project would be started in four other big cities of Punjab including Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala for which land had been identified. The chief minister said cities woud be made safe through Safe City Project and this project would play an important role in eradication of crimes and improving law and order. He said vigilant eye would be kept on criminal elements through modern technology. Shahbaz ordered the recruitment of the best human resource for integrated command, communication and control centre and added that special attention should be paid to the training of human resource recruited for this purpose. 

He also appreciated the performance of Chief Operating Officer Punjab Safe City Authority Akbar Nasir for forwarding various matters of the project in a professional manner. Chief Operating Officer Punjab Safe City Authority gave a briefing about the progress of various matters of the project.

The chief minister, giving approval to the programme of making police stations as model police stations of Punjab, said programme would be implemented from next financial year and police stations of Punjab would be changed into model police stations under a phased programme during next financial year. He said police stations would be made model police stations in the real sense by benefiting from modern information technology and would ensure redressing of grievances of the people at police stations. Shahbaz said there would be no shortage of resources for providing justice to the people and improving police system. He said police would have to give results in the real sense by coming up to the expectations of the people. He said digital monitoring system would be evolved for monitoring the performance of police at model police stations. He said police would have to work diligently for curbing the crimes and protecting life and property of the people. He directed that no effort should be spared in providing justice to the complainants at police stations. The chief minister said Dolphin Force would play a vanguard role in controlling the street crimes and this force would resume its responsibilities in March. 

He said training work of master trainers of this force had been completed. Shahbaz ordered the constitution of a high level committee for reviewing the separate service structure of the Dolphin Force and submit its recommendations regarding the necessary legislation and deciding other matters in three weeks. DIG Operations Lahore, giving briefing about the preparation of the Dolphin Force, told the meeting that training and other matters of the force were in the final stages. Provincial Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah, Special Assistant Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal, Inspector General Police, Secretary Home and senior officials attended the meeting. 

MPA Jehangir Khanzada also attended the meeting from Attock through video link. 

Qadir Baloch: Federal Minister Lt.Gen.(R) Abdul Qadir Baloch called on Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif during which matters of mutual interest and other affairs were discussed. Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz said under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, new journey of development and prosperity of the country had started. He said projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were being implemented speedily. He said CPEC was a game-changer for Pakistan. The chief minister said CPEC projects would change the destiny of the country. He said country had been put on the road to progress, prosperity and peace and today’s Pakistan was safer and economically stronger than 2013. 

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the dream of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah regarding Pakistan would be realised in the real sense. Shahbaz said the PML-N government considered politics as worship and service and under this vision, public welfare projects were being completed. He said Orange Line Metro Train was a mega project of public welfare and lakhs of people would benefit from its completion. He said speedy and economical travelling facilities of international standard would be available to the common man due to completion of Orange Line Metro Train project. He said after the popularity and appreciation of metro bus projects by the people, Orange Line Metro Train project had been started and work was continuing expeditiously. 

The chief minister said unjustified criticism against public welfare projects was the opposition of development of Pakistan and prosperity of common man. He said people had totally rejected those people who had opposed the public welfare projects in the past. He said people also rejected those people who were creating hurdles in the development and prosperity in LG elections and they would also reject such elements who criticised the public welfare projects unjustifiably in future as well. Shahbaz said every step of the PML-N government was advancing to the development and prosperity of the people. He said no effort would be spared for achieving the goal of development and prosperity of the country. 

He vowed the day was not far off when Pakistan would become a heaven of peace  and called country of lights. Qadir Baloch, paying tributes to the public service vision of the CM, said Punjab government was working in a better manner under the leadership of Shahbaz.