Says Sahiwal Coal Power Plant to attain full generation capacity in next few days; govt believes in merit, transparency, quality; those ruling Punjab during Musharraf regime set new records of loot and plunder
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday approved the plan to establish 12 sports complexes equipped with the latest facilities in Lahore.
Chairing a meeting, the chief minister directed the official concerned to expedite the planning process for establishing similar facilities in other major cities to improve the sports infrastructure across the province.
He said motivating the youth towards healthy activities was the need of the hour. “The youth are our precious asset and a symbol of bright future of the nation,” he said, adding that a revolutionary programme was under way to empower the youth.
Separately, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the second turbine of Sahiwal Coal Power Plant had also initially started generating 137-MW of electricity and the full generation capacity of 1,320-MW would be attained in the coming few days. He said the Punjab government had promoted the merit culture and disposed of the practices of nepotism and corruption. The recruitment in different departments were being made purely on merit, the chief minister added.
He said the journey from darkness towards light was in progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Talking to the PML-N parliamentarians from the Sahiwal Division, he noted, “Our government has promoted a new culture of speed, quality and transparency in development projects. Schemes worth billions of rupees are being completed for improving education, healthcare and other social sectors.
“Similarly, merit and transparency are the hallmark of our government. Only merit based recruitments are being made in education, police and other departments,” said the chief minister.
The assembly members, he said, should give precedence to public service and utilise their efforts for the solution of problems faced by general public as well as playing an effective role to ensure transparency, quality and timely completion of development projects.
He especially mentioned the various steps taken for promoting education, which included construction of thousands of additional classrooms and provision of electricity to schools through solar panels.
He said hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families were benefitting from the programmes of Punjab Education Foundation.
Shahbaz said the historic Kissan Package had been very helpful in increasing the per acre yield, adding that technical colleges would be established in collaboration with China.
He said the previous governments were involved in corruption in the name of development projects, while new records of loot and plunder were set by the rulers in Punjab during the Musharraf regime.
The chief minister directed the C&W secretary to devise a plan to tackle the traffic problem at the Pattoki Toll Plaza. He also ordered the Okara DPO to necessary action over the complaints on granting lease for sand in the Baseerpur area.
He also directed to conduct an inquiry into the issue in other parts of Punjab and asked the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team to submit a report after investigation.
Shahbaz expressed his strong displeasure over the failure to arrest the accused involved in a murder case in Sahiwal and observed that bringing improvement in the law and order situation was the prime responsibility of police.
On the other hand, the chief minister directed the Provincial Cabinet Committee on Price Control to ensure provision of essential items, fruits and vegetables to the people on fixed rates during Ramazan. He ordered strict action against the profiteers and hoarders, saying the elements looting the people did not deserve any leniency.