Two health CEOs at loggerheads in Multan

MULTAN: A bizarre situation has developed in Multan where two health chief executive officers (CEOs) are found at loggerheads with each other as one CEO locked health offices to restrict the entry of the other on Thursday.

According to health officials, the Punjab Health Department had suspended Multan CEO Health Dr Munawar Abbas on May 1 over corruption charges and assigned the officiating charge to Dr Salim Leghari and on May 15, the Health Department appointed Dr Arshad Malik as the Health CEO.

Meanwhile, Dr Munawar Abbas got a stay from the Lahore High Court (LHC) against his suspension. When he reached the CEO Health office to resume his duty, he was barred from entering the office and newly-appointed CEO Dr Arshad Malik exchanged harsh words with him.

Meanwhile, Kotwali police registered an FIR against Dr Munawar Abbas on charges of stealing files and official records after breaking locks of the office over the complaint of Yunus Masih. The complaint said Dr Munawar Abbas, senior computer operator Irfan Lothar and few other people visited the CEO office and broke locks of the office and took away official files and records. Dr Arshad Malik and Dr Munawar Abbas refused to comment.

Paddy’s per acre yield to be increased: Punjab Agriculture Information senior official Naveed Asmat Kahloon Thursday said per acre yield of paddy will be increased during the fiscal year 2020-21.

Talking to reporters, Kahloon said the Punjab Agriculture Department is spending Rs 1.180 billion from Prime Ministers' Agriculture Emergency Program to increase per acre production of paddy.

He said the Punjab agriculture department in a major breakthrough successfully cultivated cotton in rainfed areas.

Meanwhile, in a statement Punjab Agriculture Minister Nauman Langrial said the department has planned to invite Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to visit the area in the first week of August.

The minister said rainfed regions in Chakwal would contribute to cotton production.

Kahloon said the paddy farmers can purchase seed, advanced agriculture machinery, pesticides to remove weeds.

He said the PMAEP had allocated Rs 6.320 billion for five years agriculture projects and Rs 1.180 billion are being spent in the current fiscal year. He said farmers would get machinery on 50pc subsidy.

The official said the government is providing Rs 2,000 per acre rice harvester rent subsidy to farmers of five acres land holding while Rs 1,500 per acre subsidy on 5.1 to 10 acres land. The paddy farmers are providing 50pc subsidy for the purchase of approved seed varieties.

The agriculture department has targeted ten maund per acre increase in Basmati and 20 maund in thick rice varieties production. Kahloon said the government has taken measures to meet global market standards and create more job opportunities.

crackdown: Pakistan Railways (PR) Thursday launched a crackdown on violators of railways regulations in terms of crossing level crossings.

Addressing a meeting of divisional PR officials, Multan Divisional Superintendent Shoaib Adil asked the PR officials to monitor violations and register cases against the violators.

He said the PR Multan division has retrieved several acres of PR land from squatters. He said the DS office has vacated PR land in Layyah and Ehsanpur worth Rs 5.8 million from illegal occupants. He said the PR land worth Rs 100 million has been vacated from illegal occupants in the last two months. He ordered all officials of railways police stations and police posts from Sukkur to Rajanpur to launch a drive in the media to discourage unmanned level crossing by locals.

Deputy DS Saima Bashir, DCO Hamidullah Lashari, DPO Nabila Aslam, Divisional Accounts Officer Abeera Sadaf, DEN Abid Razaq, DEN Nasir Hanif, DME Rana Imran and SP Amjad Manzoor were also present on the occasion.