Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that potable water is the basic right of every citizen and Punjab government will uphold this right. He said there is a need to implement Saaf Pani Programme speedily, and added that it is intolerable that while elite have mineral water, the common man is deprived of clean drinking water. This disparity will be removed through Saaf Pani Programme, he said.
He said that the Punjab government will provide billions of rupees from its own resources for this project. He said that Saaf Pani programme is a splendid example of utilisation of national resources on the masses and he will personally monitor implementation of this programme.
He was addressing a high-level meeting through video link from London on Saturday which reviewed the implementation of Saaf Pani Programme. The chief minister said that supply of clean drinking water will be ensured to people living in villages during the next two years under Saaf Pani project. He said that clean drinking water is linked with the health of people and they can be protected from diseases through provision of potable water.
He said that supply of drinking water to the people is among priorities of the government and it has started the project with a cost of billions of rupees. He said that Saaf Pani Project has been started from South Punjab and in the first phase it will be completed in the areas where there is a shortage of clean drinking water. He said that the project will be completed speedily and transparently in accordance with the policy of the Punjab government. He said that a mechanism has also been evolved for monitoring and third-party audit of the project.
The chief minister directed the formation of a core team for legal, technical and financial capacity-building of Saaf Pani Company. He said that Punjab Saaf Pani Company Chairman and the local government secretary should play an active role for the implementation of the most important programme and give results.
He said that the best companies should be selected transparently and in accordance with the rules and regulations for the implementation of the programme. Punjab Saaf Pani Company Chairman Kashif Padiar MPA, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning and Development, concerned secretaries and Chief Executive Officer Punjab Saaf Pani Company participated in the meeting from Civil Secretariat while other officials attended the meeting through video link from the chief minister’s office.
