CM inaugurates Speedo bus service in Multan

LAHORE: The Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the Speedo bus service in Multan on Thursday. In the first phase, a total of 100 air-conditioned buses will be run at 11 different routes in Multan, and an e-ticketing system has been introduced for travelling.

While addressing the inaugural ceremony, the chief minister congratulated the people of Multan over the launch of the Speedo bus service and said that 100 Speedo buses have been provided for the service. The people will travel in an honorable way on metro and Speedo buses with a paltry sum of Rs 25 and the facility for physically challenged passengers has also been provided in these buses, he said. After Lahore, the city of Multan has been blessed with this state-of-the-art public transport system, he added.

He said that the journey of development and prosperity initiated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the southern Punjab has been unprecedented. The people used to talk about the backwardness of region, but was there any other government in the history of the country that adopted any practical steps for the development of this area, he asked. He said that as much as Rs 85 billion have been spent on construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market rural roads programme. Similarly, thousands of kilometrees long rural roads have been constructed and repaired, and this initiative has brought new revolution in the rural economy.

He said that a mega programme of providing clean drinking water is being started from southern Punjab and the contracts will be awarded at the end of this year. He said that the development works in the region are not a manipulation of works or a fictional story; people can see them materialising with their own eyes.

He further said that Multan is a historic and densely populated city and the motorbikes ambulance service, which has been started in Lahore, will also be introduced in Multan in the next few weeks to provide first-aid to the people of congested localities and other areas in case of any emergency. This service will be extended to all nine divisions, as well.

The CM congratulated the people over the start of the speedo bus service in Multan. He pointed out that such a gigantic project has not been established in Karachi or in Peshawar or anywhere else in the country. He further criticised the detractors of development projects in Lahore including the metro bus project.

SURPRISE VISIT PAID TO RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN HOSPITAL:

In a separate development, Shehbaz Sharif paid a surprise visit to the extension project of Government Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Muzaffargarh. He went to the hospital without any prior information, after the inauguration of speedo bus service in Multan. He inspected the construction work and went to different wards and other sections. The hospital staff and the labourers were pleasantly surprised to see the chief minister moving around.

On the occasion, he inquired after the health of patients in different wards and praised the general conditions of cleanliness as well as the presence of doctors.

While talking to the media, the chief minister said that this hospital is providing latest facilities to the people of southern Punjab. Every patient is treated free of cost in this hospital and it is much better than public sector hospitals.