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Thursday March 28, 2024

CM for regional cooperation to tackle smog

By our correspondents
November 22, 2017
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken the first step for tackling environmental pollution and climate change as a bilateral approach with India at the provincial level by proposing regional cooperation. On the heels of the worst smog faced by both countries, Shahbaz wrote a letter to Capt (retd) Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of Indian Punjab, inviting him to initiate regional cooperation arrangement to tackle the issue of smog as well as environmental pollution. “Let’s join hands for securing a prepress future for the people of both the provinces,” he said. In his letter, the chief minister said, “Since the last year, the people of Pakistani and Indian Punjabs have to face the problem of smog; however, the problem has become more aggravated and widespread this year. In goes without saying that the smog has an adverse impact on public health, especially in the old age and the children, on agriculture in the form of delayed sowing of wheat and damage to potato and other crops and causes traffic accidents.”
He said main causes of smog ranged from vehicular and industrial emissions to rice stubble-burning. “The phenomenon has now assumed regional proportions and it engulfs the areas from New Delhi to Lahore and beyond.”
“This problem is essentially scientific and economic and cannot be tackled through other means. It is in the interest of the people of both the provinces to make a collective effort towards indentifying technologies and business methods that may eliminate the need to burn rice-stubble and help control smog formation. In this regard, both Pakistani and Indian Punjabs should adopt collective efforts to benefit the people of both the provinces,” the chief minister added.
Separately, Shahbaz said there was a tremendous potential to increase mutual cooperation in agriculture sector between Pakistan and Netherlands as both countries enjoy good cordial relations.
He was talking to Dutch Ambassador Ardi Stoios-Braken who called on him on Tuesday.
The chief minister said Punjab being an agrarian province the promotion of agricultural economy was a priority of the provincial government. He sought cooperation, citing Netherlands’ exclusive expertise in livestock, agriculture, dairy farming and water management sectors.
“We are desirous of enhancing cooperation with Netherlands in the energy sector as well,” he added.
Ardi Stoios-Braken said Pakistan was a peaceful country and steps would be taken to enhance cooperation with the Punjab government in different sectors.
On the other hand, the chief minister, during a meeting, reviewed the pace of progress on the construction of additional classrooms under Khadim-e-Punjab Schools Programme and said no compromise would be made on the quality of construction of additional classrooms.
Meanwhile, Chief Ministers’ Inspection Team visited Multan to hold an inquiry into police torture on an old couple and recorded their statement.