News
Monday, September 05, 2011
Struggle for mitigating people’s sufferings to continue: Shahbaz* Punjab chief minister says 2,800 houses to be constructed in Faisalabad under AHS
* Underpass to be constructed at Abdullah Pur
FAISALABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the PML-N will continue its struggle to mitigate the sufferings of people by evolving pro-poor policies.
Talking to media persons after inspecting the under-construction Ashiana Housing Scheme (AHS) near Makkoana at Jaranwala Road on Sunday, he said that loot and plunder had become order of the day and it was a pity that influential people were involved in large-scale plundering.
He said that his party would not allow these forces to destroy the homeland of 170 million people who had offered great sacrifices under the able leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He was also critical of the mud slinging and said that he was not going to spend Rs 2 billion on the purchase of a new helicopter.
He said that in a country where people are deprived of water, food and shelter, how could a person like him abuse his authority. He added that he had only sent his helicopter for repair and was visiting the area on an army helicopter.
About the welfare-oriented policies of PML-N, the CM said that uptil now, all facilities were dolled-out to the privileged and elite class but we have changed this trend by focusing on the poor and low-income socioeconomic groups.
He said that the majority of people who had offered sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan were living in slums surrounded with ponds of stinking water. “We would provide them neat and clean environment with quality houses,” he added. Talking about inspection of the area’s AHS, he said that quality of these houses was as good as in Lahore.
He said that 2,800 houses would be constructed in Faisalabad under AHS and he had issued clear instructions to DCO Naseem Sadiq and Punjab Land Development Company CEO Dr Arshad to select the best contractor through a transparent system to ensure their quality completion before the coming winter season.
These houses, he added, would be allotted to 100 percent deserving persons through a transparent draw. He made it clear that no recommendation from the CM or any legislator would be accepted and he would personally supervise the process of the draw in Faisalabad.
The CM said that the AHS was being implemented in eight major cities of Punjab but he intended to expand the scheme to other parts of the province as well.
He also touched upon the subject of Danish Schools and said that their standard would be equal to schools like Aitchison College. The children belonging to the low-income group will get admission in these schools to lead the country in future, he said. The CM announced construction of an underpass at Abdullah Pur crossing to resolve traffic-related problems. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk