LAHORE : A meeting of Punjab Cabinet held in Punjab Assembly cafeteria on Tuesday decided to withdraw proposed sales tax on inter-city AC buses and the Cabinet gave unanimous approval to it. The chief minister, who chaired the meeting, directed to make an amendment to the finance bill for this purpose and said that this would give real relief to the people.
The Punjab government will take many more steps for giving relief to the people in the future as well. I am grateful to the Cabinet for extending support during a difficult economic situation, he added. The Punjab Cabinet members have worked day and night and their hard work is yielding positive results. The Punjab budget will usher in an era of development and prosperity. The meeting of Punjab Cabinet gave approval to MoU about joint financial obligations between the federation and the provinces. Ex post facto approval of posting of Capt (R) Arif Nawaz as IG Police Punjab was given as well.
Provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, chief secretary, IG Police, administrative secretaries, and others attended the meeting. war against graft: Usman Buzdar on Tuesday said the PTI government has waged a crusade against corruption and the corrupt elements will not be allowed to stay on their posts.
The chief minister stated this during a meeting with the MPAs belonging to Faisalabad Division who called on him at the committee room of Punjab Assembly. The assembly members talked in detail about the problems of their constituencies and public welfare projects relating to their areas. The chief minister issued on-the-spot instructions for the solution of their problems and announced starting a new programme for improving civic amenities. He said the government was starting a new programme for improving sewerage and cleanliness system, provision of clean drinking water and other facilities of life at a cost of billions of rupees. Safe City Project will also be started in Faisalabad through a public-private partnership mode, he added.
The chief minister directed the divisional commissioner and deputy commissioner Faisalabad to inspect hospitals and educational institutions for personally monitoring the ground situation and adoption of steps for betterment. He said that water filtration plants would be installed in Faisalabad Division under Aab Pak Authority. The Railways Ministry has approved renovation of Railway Station Jhang while sub-campus of Agricultural University in Toba Tek Singh will be upgraded as well.
Usman Buzdar announced restoring the water supply schemes and added that funds had been allocated in the budget for that purpose. He directed to prepare the feasibility of providing speedo buses to Faisalabad and made it clear that corrupt elements would not be tolerated. The corrupt employees should be prosecuted upon without any discrimination, he added.
The PTI government has waged a crusade against corruption and the corrupt elements will not be allowed to stay on their posts. The chief minister took strict notice of assembly members’ complaints against some corrupt officers and directed to forward the case to the ACE. The services of Rescue 1122 will be immediately started in tehsils where its buildings are completed, he added. The chief minister took notice of assembly members’ complaints about non-posting of MS General Hospital, Faisalabad for the last eight months and directed that MS should be posted at the earliest. He directed that report should be submitted to him for increasing the number of beds in DHQ hospital TT Singh.
CM orders drive against land grabbers: Usman Buzdar has ordered for expediting a campaign against land-grabbers throughout the province and the IG Police had been given a go-ahead for a meaningful action against them. The regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs) should ensure elimination of land-grabbers in their respective districts as such elements would not be tolerated. He said that indiscriminate action should be taken against such criminals no matter how powerful they might be. Jail is the best place for such elements occupying properties and lands of other people and action should be initiated against them, the CM added.