Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that selfless service to the people and bringing deprived segments into mainstream of development is the pivot of the politics of the PML-N. Therefore, he said the PML-N government is completing public welfare projects with speed and transparency and resources have been diverted to the poor and less-developed areas. He said under the policy of balanced development, projects worth billions of rupees are being implemented throughout the province and hundreds of thousands of people are benefiting.
Sharif said that the former rulers looted national resources mercilessly while corruption and plunder in the name of development schemes was rampant during dictatorial era. Contrary to this fact, the PML-N government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promoted quality and transparency in development projects and new examples have been set by saving national resources of billions of rupees. Referring to the measures taken for elimination of energy crisis, the chief minister said that work is being carried out on power projects round the clock for overcoming load shedding and all-out efforts are being made for this purpose.
He said that elimination of energy crisis will accelerate economic activities while huge investment will be made. He said terrorism, extremism and sectarianism will be eliminated for making Pakistan a haven of peace and the promise of giving a peaceful and save Pakistan to the coming generations will be fulfilled. The chief minister further said that those criticising public welfare projects unnecessarily do not want progress of the people and those who neglected the masses during their tenure are perturbed over the projects aimed at welfare of the masses. He said the government will continue the process of public service and new records will be set during next two and a half years.
UNESCO delegation: A delegation led by Programme Specialist World Heritage Centre, UNESCO, Junhi Han met Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Sunday.
Matters regarding measures for conservation of historical sites on the route of Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project were discussed in the meeting.
Talking to UNESCO delegation, the chief minister said that Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project of Punjab government is a revolutionary step for the provision of modern and comfortable transport facilities to the citizens. He said that Lahore is not only a historical city but it also has a population of one 10 million, therefore, a modern and reliable transport system has become need of the hour. He said that while the Punjab government is spending billions of rupees on the improvement of education, health and other social sectors, is also paying attention to the provision of a modern, comfortable and economical transport facilities to the masses.
Sharif said the Punjab government has successfully launched metro bus project in Lahore while metro bus service is also operating in Rawalpindi/Islamabad which is not only benefiting hundreds of citizens daily but also resulting in saving of fuel and time. Similarly, he said that work is also in progress speedily on Metro bus project Multan and it will be completed during next few months. He said that it is not the destiny of the common man to travel by smoke-emitting vehicles therefore, Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project is being implemented which will not only provide respectable transport facilities to the citizens but also give a new identity to the provincial metropolis.
The chief minister said that no historical site will be affected on the route of the project as all necessary measures have been taken for the conservation of historical heritage. He said that after metro bus project, Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project is also an important project towards improvement of public transport system. He said that this project will result in transport facilities of international standard to the common man, students, teachers and people of all walks of life.
He said that hundred of people will travel by metro train daily and this project is of vital importance for raising the living standard of common man. Programme Specialist Jhuny Han said that meetings with senior authorities of Punjab government have been very positive and a close contact with Punjab government will be maintained. She said that UNESCO and Punjab government are on the same page. Ceramic expert (Conservationist) Elena Agnini was also included in the delegation. Khawaja Ahmad Hasaan, Secretary Transport and Director General Lahore Development Authority were also present on the occasion.
