DERA GHAZI KHAN:
The Koh-e-Suleman administration headquarters will go live this year and a cadet college at Fort Munro hill station will be completed early to provide the best educational facilities for local students. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar announced Thursday.
Speaking with tribal elders in the Barthi area of โโDera Ghazi Khan, who submitted various requests and briefed him on local problems, the prime minister issued directives for their solution. He said he was aware of public issues as he represented people living in remote areas of the province. "The development journey is underway and will take place at an accelerated pace," he added.
The prime minister announced a plan to connect Choki Wala with Baluchistan via a road link to reduce the travel distance by about 120 kilometers.
He said a cement factory and industrial estate would provide new job opportunities for locals, while Fazilka Kach and other areas of Koh-e-Suleman will receive electricity through a solar grid station to be installed in Barthi.
Upgrading health and education centers in the area would improve locals' access to vital facilities, he said, adding that development schemes would be strictly monitored to ensure transparency and quality.
Read Public Service Essence of Democracy: CM Buzdar
The prime minister also expressed hope that the Sorra dam would revolutionize the local agrarian economy. He took an aerial view of the Sorra Dam site in the Koh-e-Suleman area along with the senior member of the Punjab Revenue Board and other officials.
The provincial secretary of irrigation briefed him on the project, which will be completed at a cost of 5,000 million rupees to promote cultivation in Taunsa and adjacent tribal areas by providing more water.
CM Buzdar said that the government had approved the project to store the water from the torrents in the hills. Dams to use water for agricultural purposes are planned in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.
The prime minister said the foundation stone for the Sorra Dam will be laid soon, while a feasibility study is underway to build more reservoirs to store water from the hill streams. "This will also save people from losses resulting from flash floods," he added.
He also said that previous rulers had aggravated the miseries of disadvantaged areas instead of healing the wounds of the unfortunate. "They also wasted resources on exhibition projects and ignored the real needs of the people," he added.
The prime minister also chaired a meeting held in Fine airport, where he was informed about the situation of public order, administrative matters and the pace of work of the development plans. The Multan commissioner, the deputy commissioner and the regional and district police officers attended the meeting along with the irrigation secretary and the main member of the Revenue Board.
The CM reviewed the law and order situation regarding Muharram and ordered the administration and police to be vigilant to keep the peace.
He said ongoing development schemes must be completed on time while ensuring transparency and quality of work.
He promised that the deprivation of the people of Multan would be removed by the Pakistan Government of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Posted in The Express Tribune, Aug 13th, 2021.
