South Punjab to get annual development fund: Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the creation of South Punjab Secretariat is a big step for the people of this area. He said the South Punjab funds were transferred to other districts in the past but now not a single penny from South Punjab development funds would be given to other districts. The transferring of funds in the past delayed development works for years. This delay also increased project cost, bringing heavy losses to the national exchequer. Qureshi said the government has decided to allocate a separate annual development programme for the 40 million population of South Punjab living in 13 districts. He said the next step is setting up a full-fledged civil secretariat in Multan and offices for secretaries are being set up temporarily at the Circuit House in Multan. He said the Multan administration has moved a case for approval of acquisition of hundreds of kanals government land across Multan Judicial Complex for setting up a permanent secretariat. He said the PTI government is taking practical measures for the creation of South Punjab province. Qureshi said 16 departments have been shifted to South Punjab and their secretaries would sit in Multan and Bahawalpur. Addressing a public meeting Sunday in his constituency NA-156 after inaugurating Rs520 million new Shah Shams Disposal Station, he said Rs2.25 billion are being spent on replacing Multan’s old sewerage line and the work has been started in this connection. The JICA has approved Rs2.79 billion for Multan sewerage construction.