Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the labourers and workers were badly ignored during the 64 years history of the country but credit goes to the Punjab government that has made projects of comprehensive welfare of labourers as its top priority and has taken practical steps for the provision of shelter to the families of labourers.
He said the govt believed in the dignity of hard work, therefore, proprietary rights of the residential flats in labour colonies would be given to the industrial workers so that the dream of workers having their own house could be materialised. He said all modern facilities had been provided in the labour colonies being constructed in the province. He said keeping in view the welfare of labourers, community centres, mosques, hospitals, parks, vocational training centres and other facilities had also been made available in these colonies. He said the aim of these facilities was to provide best living standard to labourer families so that they could lead their life peacefully. The CM further said that balloting for provision of residential flats to the labourers in the newly constructed labour colonies of Lahore and Muzaffargarh will be held on May 1.
He was presiding over a meeting held with regard to labour welfare complexes on Saturday. Provincial Minister Haji Ehsanuddin Qureshi, labour secretary, services secretary, Workers Welfare Board secretary, PHA DG, Lahore DCO, representative of Pakistan Workers Confederation Khursheed Ahmad and other concerned officers were present.
Addressing the meeting, Sharif said the provincial government was active in providing residential and other facilities of high standard to the labourers in Lahore, Multan, Muzaffargarh and other cities. He said all the industrial workers of district Lahore would be eligible to apply for flats in the recently completed labour colony having 1,296 flats. He said five percent quota had been allocated for the widows of the labourers in these labour colonies.
Orphans and widows will get their own shelter through this step and will live with a sense of protection, he added. He said these flats will be given on ownership basis to the labourers.
He said this scheme should be advertised widely for ensuring the participation of maximum deserving labourers in the balloting.
The CM said a separate 15 percent quota had been reserved for the women industrial workers in these flats for the welfare of working women. Similarly, two percent quota has been allocated for disabled labourers, he added.
Earlier, Labour Secretary Hassan Iqbal informed the meeting about the welfare projects launched in Lahore, Muzaffargarh, Multan and Warberton. He said labour complexes had been completed in Lahore and Muzaffargarh. He said the construction work of labour complex in Multan had been started whereas the construction work of labour colony in Warberton will also be started soon.
TRANSPORTATION: Separately, the CM said the Punjab government was spending huge resources on the provision of comfortable, quality and economical transport facilities to the masses. He said modern bus service had been launched in the provincial metropolis and now its scope was being extended to other cities of the province. He said that work on the project of Metro Bus Service in Lahore was going on speedily and rapid and modern transport would be available to the citizens after completion of this project. He said transport system was being organised on modern lines for coping with the increasing pressure of transport and solving the problems like traffic jams. He said that Intelligent Transport System was also being introduced in the province which will help operate traffic system in big cities in an organised manner and people would also reach their destination on time.
He was presiding over a meeting held regarding metro bus service and intelligent transport projects on Saturday. Lahore Transport Company Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan, Member Provincial Assembly Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad, secretaries of Transport and Housing Departments and LDA director general were present in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the CM Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said intelligent transport system was a paradigm step towards organising the transport system on modern lines in the province. He said that this modern computerised system of traffic control will help maintain smooth flow of traffic. He said that this system would also help in taking timely steps for coping with any emergent situation and traffic accident. He said that the citizens will especially benefit from the initiatives taken for harmonising the transport system in accordance with changing demands in the province.
The CM said that intelligent transport system will also result in resolving the traffic problems. He said that Punjab government has ensured financial transparency in the public welfare projects of billions of rupees and the additional resources saved through austerity are also being spent on the public welfare projects.
