6,000 houses to be built in first phase: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed has said that the government will fulfill all its commitments in accordance with vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The initiative of construction of inexpensive housing project in three cities of the province is one of the steps towards fulfillment of commitments. The minister was addressing a press conference held at DGPR here on Monday in connection with housing projects being initiated in Renala Khurd (Okara), Chishtian and Lodhran. He was accompanied by Chairman Punjab Housing Taskforce Yaqoob Tahir Izhar and General Secretary Atif Ayub.

The minister disclosed that 6,000 housing units would be constructed in three cities under first phase under which housing unit at ground floor comprising three-marla would cost Rs 1.75 million and housing unit at first floor would cost Rs 1.6 million whereas housing unit of five-marla at ground floor would cost Rs 2.3 million and the unit of first floor would cost Rs 2.1 million. The housing units would be allotted through balloting to the successful applicants and their possession would be handed over to the allottees within one and half year.

Worker right: Minister for Labour and Human Resource Ansar Majeed Khan has said construction of labour colony in Sialkot, solution to industrial workers’ problems and improving their living standard are top priorities, adding labourers’ rights to be safeguarded.

He said Sialkot is a mini China and Sialkotees are skillful, capable and hard working. He said exports could be increased by providing them facilities. He was addressing a ceremony held to distribute cheques of Rs 5 crore 48 lakh among 288 industrial workers of a leather factory under marriage/death grant.

Education: Provincial Minister for Schools Education Murad Raas has said promotion of education, besides eradication of poverty and illiteracy from society, is the top priority of the PTI government. In order to achieve the goal of a new Pakistan free and quality education should be provided to every child because education is the most important mean in the journey of development.

He said this while talking to a delegation of educational experts at his office here on Monday. CS: Punjab Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar Monday called upon with Governor State Bank of Pakistan Tariq Bajwa to discuss digitisation of agriculture projects in Punjab.

Tariq assured the CS that the State Bank would provide all kinds of support for digitisation of agriculture projects in Punjab. desilting: Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) on Monday initiated its desilting campaign under which the agency would clear all drainages, disposal stations and sewer lines across the provincial metropolis.