Buzdar reviews anti-smog measures

LAHORE:Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has ordered the department concerned to take effective steps to overcome smog in the province and made it clear that no negligence would be tolerated in this regard.

Chairing a meeting at his office here Friday, the chief minister stressed that anti-smog measures should be result-oriented and directed to continue indiscriminate crackdown on factories and smoke-emitting vehicles in the province. Similarly, action be initiated against factories involved in burning tyres, such units should be sealed along with the imposition of fine, he continued. The water be sprinkled in the City daily and steps be taken immediately for the procurement of electric buses, he said. The chief minister expressed his displeasure over the delay in procurement of electric buses and asked to submit a final plan in this regard. He directed to impose a 50 percent cut in the number of official vehicles and asked the secretaries to submit a compliance report to his office. The scope of the anti-smog squad would be further expanded as five anti-smog squads have already been constituted in Lahore, he said.

The chief minister ordered action against those responsible for burning the stubble. The environment protection department, agriculture, industries, transport and officials of the administration should personally monitor anti-smog measures in the field, he mentioned. The smog has been declared a calamity in the province and any violation of the ban on burning the solid waste would not be tolerated, he stated and added that action would be initiated against the officials concerned of waste management companies over any incident of burning the trash. Similarly, the crushing plants should be converted to the latest technology, like brick-kilns, and comprehensive planning be devised in this regard.

Cabinet: The Punjab cabinet committee for finance and development Friday approved upgrading police prison vans with a supplementary grant of Rs71 million. The cabinet committee’s 68th meeting was held under the chair of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar here at his office. The meeting approved Rs30.80 million grant-in-aid for sports associations along with revision of PC-1 for remodelling of Ammar Chowk Airport Road, Rawalpindi. The inclusion of a drainage scheme valuing Rs30 million of a suburban village of Sargodha in ADP 2021-22 was approved. The meeting accorded approval for including a dual carriageway scheme from Syedwala Chowk Bosan Road to Head Muhammadwala in Multan in ADP 2021-22 and approved Rs1.184 billion for it and provision of bulldozers for repair and maintenance of roads in Barthi area of Koh-e-Suleman. The upgradation of BHU Kuntraila to RHC in Gujjar Khan, along with its inclusion in ADP 2021-22 and approval of a supplementary grant of Rs120 million was recommended by the participants. It approved the release of funds fornewly-built boys primary schools in Basti Dangu UC Barthi. It was decided to constitute a ministerial committee to finalise an MoU with the Balochistan government for establishing a health facility in the Rakhni area of Balochistan by the Punjab government.

CHILDREN’S DAY: The chief minister said that children are the bright future of Pakistan and the purpose of celebrating the International Children’s Day was to sensitise the general public about importance of provision of education, healthcare, recreational and a conducive atmosphere to children so that they can emerge as the leaders of tomorrow. In his message on Friday, the CM reiterated that the government was committed to providing the best future to children, adding that different segments of society should lend a helping hand to develop a child-friendly society in the country, he added.