Kilns to be given interest-free loan

LAHORE:The Punjab government will provide up to Rs 2 million interest-free loan to each brick kiln for transforming the kilns to modern environment friendly zigzag technology.

The brick kilns will be transferred to zigzag technology under a phased programme across the province. During the first phase the brick-kilns of 11 districts i.e. Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Multan, Sheikhupura, Okara, Jhelum, Sahiwal and Kasur will be transferred to the latest technology.

The approval was given in a meeting chaired by Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal in the committee room of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) office here on Thursday. Brick Kiln Owners Association President Muhammad Shoaib Khan Niazi, Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) MD Mudassir Riaz Malik, Environment Protection Department DG Asher Zaidi and other officers concerned also attended the meeting.

search operations: Lahore Police Operations Wing has issued the performance report of July regarding search operations conducted under the National Action Plan to maintain law and order in the City. Lahore police conducted 446 search operations in July at different places. As many as 42,926 persons, 11,379 houses, 4,543 tenants, 152 hotels, 36 guesthouses, 45 hostels, one educational institute, 30 bus stands, 33 factories, 313 shops, 25 madaris and 23 churches were checked. Police took action against 457 persons, registering 14 FIRs of narcotics, four of illegal weapons and 194 under the Tenant Act. DIG Operations Lahore Ashfaq Khan said there was a dire need to remain highly alert in the wake of the present border situation.

Rescuers: A conference of the district emergency officers (DEOs) was held at Emergency Services Headquarters on Thursday to review the COVID-19 situation in the districts and the flood preparedness status.

The conference chaired by the Rescue Punjab director general was attended by all DEOs and senior officers from Rescue Headquarters and academy. The DG said that all DEOs must ensure anti-dengue activities to support dengue control programme. The DEOs briefed him that civil works of the tehsil rescue stations were about to complete except the works at the stations in a few tehsils. The Rescue DG directed them to expedite the construction of tehsil rescue stations and complete it before December 2020 so that the service could be started in all tehsils of Punjab.