MPAs body sought to ensure release of funds for south Punjab

MULTAN: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) MPA Syed Ali Haider Gilani Tuesday demanded formation of a committee of MPAs to ensure release of allocated funds for south Punjab.

Talking to reporters, the PPP lawmaker said the party has rejected Punjab budget, saying it is a document of shameful discrimination with south Punjab where people were living under very miserable circumstances.

Gilani said he had addressed MPAs in the Punjab Assembly and exposed brutal exploitation of south Punjab and prevailing bad practices.

The funds are allocated for south Punjab in the budget but they were not released. He said he demanded the Punjab Assembly Speaker and the house constitute the MPAs committee to ensure swift release of funds for the most neglected remote region.

He said the PTI government was committed to the creation of a fifth province in the first 100 days of taking over public offices but the party had taken a U-turn as usual by giving a lollipop to the administrative secretariat last year and made public allocation of Rs 3 billion for the purpose. Neither the administrative secretariat could be established after lapsing one year nor the province created at the end of more than one and half years, he remarked.

The PPP has already rejected Administrative Secretariat politics and demanded a full-fledged province with its independent High Court, IGP, separate assembly, autonomous constitution of National Finance Award and other organs.

Gilani said people of south Punjab want their rights and are not slaves and the PPP leadership would not allow exploitation of this region.

The South Punjab deserves an independent NFC Award that would help reduce miseries and deprivations of this region, he maintained.

He said the creation of the province is a unanimous demand of 40 million people of Saraiki region. The PTI has shamefully betrayed her commitment of creation of the province in 100 days, he said.

He demanded constitution of a unanimous committee to monitor swift release of allocated funds for south Punjab. He suggested the committee should consist of MPAs from south Punjab from PPP, PTI and PML-N. The committee would be responsible for monitoring the pace of development schemes in the southern region and removal of obstacles in the way of swift release of allocated budget.

Govt considering increasing ventilators at hospitals: The government has decided to increase ventilators and health facilities to each coronavirus suspect at public and private hospitals.

Reportedly, first the infrastructure at public hospitals would be used fully then the private hospitals would be taken into consideration in this regard.

Addressing a meeting, Nishtar Medical College principal Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussein said the administration has decided extending numbers of ventilators up to 40 and it has ordered data gathering of ventilators at public hospitals.

The numbers of ventilators at Nishtar Hospital has been extended to 32. The coronavirus situation has been under control at the hospital, he said.

He said the coronavirus patients beds capacity has been increased from 144 to 202 while beds capacity would be extended to 224 until June 30. The wards No 22, 23, 26, 27, 28 and 29 have been allocated for Covid-19 patients at Nishtar Hospital. The numbers of oxidation points have been increased from 176 to 287, he said.

Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussein said 1,364 coronavirus suspects were admitted to Nishtar Hospital until Tuesday since the pandemic outbreak and 480 of them were tested positive for the virus and 123 had died due to the disease and 257 recovered and 42 shifted to the hospital.

He said currently 58 coronavirus patients are under treatment at Nishtar Hospital while 16 are in critical condition and nine Covid-19 patients are put on ventilators and one had died.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amir Khatak also visited Mukhtar A Sheikh hospital.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Mukhtar A Sheikh hospital and the district health authorities to establish free medical camps in rural areas.

MAN HELD FOR ORGANISING MATCH: The Tehsil Jalalpur administration Tuesday took action against organisers of a volleyball match and arrested a man and impounded 13 motorcycles over starting the game despite ban.

According to officials, hundreds of spectators managed to escape when the authorities launched a crackdown.

Jalalpur villagers organised a volleyball match at a ground near Lodhran bypass and hundreds of villagers gathered to watch the match without observing coronavirus SOPs.

The Jalalpur administration led by Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ghulam Sarwar and heavy contingent of police raided the spot and arrested a villager and confiscated 13 motorcycles.