Buzdar suspends DC Toba on public complaints on cleanliness

TOBA TEK SINGH/MULTAN: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday suspended Toba Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ahmad Khawar Shahzad on public complaints about the cleanliness situation in the city.

During his visit here, he expressed anger at the poor cleanliness arrangements in the city, and directed the suspended DC to report to the Services & General Administration (S&GDA). He asked Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Rizwan Mahmood Chohan to assume the charge as an acting DC. The CM also ordered theAnti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to conduct an inquiry into alleged corruption in Rs880 million mega water supply scheme, which was completed in TT Singh during the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government.

Addressing the media outside the DC Office, he also ordered an inquiry into the corruption allegations against DHQ hospital’s former medical superintendent (MS) Dr Niaz Ahmad. He announced setting up an industrial estate in the district and said that vacant posts of district health authority chief executive officer (CEO), district health officer, deputy district health officer and DHQ hospital medical superintendent would be filled within a couple of days.

On the CM orders, the secretary health appointed Dr Zafar Iqbal Baloch of Jhang as the district health authority CEO against the vacant post. Later, presiding over a meeting of the officials and parliamentarians in the DC Office, the chief minister reviewed the pace of work on ongoing schemes and discussed the proposed development schemes. He said that the PTI government had decided to spend equal funds in cities and rural areas. He said the previous government gave priority to only specific cities and spent most of funds there.

He also directed commissioners, deputy commissioners, regional police officers and deputy police officers to hold regular open courts to address the public complaints on-the-spot. He also directed the police to adopt the people-friendly attitude. He said he had ordered for immediate arrest of proclaimed offenders while steps would be taken to end shortage of police force in the district.

He said Rescue-1122 service would soon be launched in Kamalia and Gojra. He said the problems being faced by the people of the district regarding education, health, water and sanitation would be solved on priority as the previous government had ignored the district and it resulted in creation of several problems.

He said that expansion of the DHQ hospital was also under consideration. The chief minister said that one million saplings would be planted in the district under the clean and green campaign.

Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Women Development Minister Ashfaq Fatyana, MNA Riaz Fatyana and MPAs Saeed Ahmad Saeed and Bilal Asghar Warraich were also present.

The chief minister also met PTI’s defeated ticket holders -- Osama Hamza, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq, Asad Zaman Cheema, Khalid Bashir, Javed Akram, Sonia Ali Raza, Chaudhry Muhammad Ramzan (brother of Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar) and Toba Tek Singh MC Chairman Mian Shahzad Ahmad.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the DBA office-bearers, led by president Chaudhry Tanveer Hussain, also met the CM and told him about the problems being faced by the local lawyers.

Meanwhile, addressing a passing-out parade of police recruits at the Police Training Institute in Multan, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that it was not possible to change the police culture without changing the police behaviour.

He said the police would have to change behaviour in order to restore the public confidence. He said the Punjab police had greatly contributed to elimination of terrorism as its officers had sacrificed their lives for the cause. He said that citizens’ cooperation was a must to maintain law and order situation. He ordered action against the lawbreakers and criminals and said that there was nothing more precious than the human life. He said that protection of lives and properties of the people was the priority of the PTI government.

The chief minister took notice of closure shops on his route during his visit to Multan and sought a detailed report from the commissioner and the regional police officer in this connection. He ordered that no shop would be closed during his visit to any district next time. He said that closure of shops and increasing miseries of public was not the policy of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The CM ordered an action against the officials responsible for the closure of shops.

During the ceremony, an interesting situation was created when the chief minister forgot shaking hands with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Amjad Javed Saleemi on the stage. A video clip showed Buzdar leaving the stage without noticing that the IGP had extended his hand for shake with the CM.

The incident took place at a passing-out parade in Multan. The video showed the IGP Punjab receiving a shield from the CM and then extending his hand for shake. Firstly, the CM walked away a few steps. But on realising his mistake, he shook hands with the IGP, and admitted that he lacked “training” for such functions.