LAHORE:Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has directed the department concerned to focus on modern urban planning and development.

He presided over a meeting at CM office here Monday. During the meeting, proposals regarding performance of Housing & Urban Development Department as well as providing better and improved facilities to the citizens were reviewed.

Usman Buzdar while addressing the participants in the meeting said that Housing & Urban Development Department would be harmonised with modern requirements because the role of Housing & Urban Development Department is pivotal in providing better facilities in the cities, he added.

The department will have to focus on modern urban planning and development. Wasa will be made an independent authority and would also be granted autonomy, he added. He directed to put up final plan in this regard. After reviewing matters of commercialisation in residential areas, concrete recommendations should be submitted, he said. A committee has been constituted to review DC rates of property. The committee will submit its final recommendations within 15 days under the supervision of Provincial Finance Minister. Aab-e-Pak Authority has been constituted in order to provide clean water to the people of Punjab, he added.

A proposal was submitted during the meeting to transfer the assets and other related matters of Saaf Pani Company established during previous tenure to Aab-e-Pak Authority.

Usman Buzdar said that clean water is the basic right of every citizen. The PTI government will leave no stone unturned to ensure provision of clean water to the citizens, he stressed. The quality of water plants will be improved. We will have to move ahead by learning a lesson from past mistakes, he stated. By performing matters according to rules and regulations and in a transparent manner, provision of clean water is to be ensured to the citizens, he added. He said that a mega programme was going to be launched in order to improve sewerage system in Lahore. Programme for bringing improvement in sewerage system through tunnel boring will cost Rs14 billion. He was briefed that the office of Aab-e-Pak Authority would not be set up in a rented building but in some official building. Secretary Housing & Urban Development gave a detailed briefing to the chief minister regarding performance of the department and providing better civic facilities to the citizens.

CITIZENS: People from different cities called on Usman Buzdar at his office. He listened to the people’s problems and ordered to resolve them on the spot. Usman Buzdar said he did not care for criticism and was only advancing forward the mission of providing public service. Common people of the province are my asset and I want to listen to their problems personally, he added. No hurdle to resolve their issues would be tolerated, he stressed. In the past, provision of basic facilities to the public was ignored. The elite had been awarded favours during the previous governments and national resources were wasted on artificial projects, he stated.

The PTI government has focused on providing basic needs to the people. Open door policy is being implemented in offices in order to resolve people’s problems, he maintained. I myself undertake visits to review problems of common man and take immediate steps for resolving their problems. He said that we have not come up with any other agenda and doing public service is our sole objective. The PTI government is undertaking such welfare projects which were ignored by previous governments.

MESSAGE: The chief minister said that on 8th October, 2005, horrible earthquake brought massive catastrophe and caused loss of thousands of precious lives. People could not forget massive destruction brought about owing to that horrible earthquake even after 14 years.

In his message on the anniversary of earthquake martyrs of October 2005, he expressed sympathies with the family members of the victims who lost their lives in that earthquake. By adopting effective preventive measures we can reduce the risks of natural calamities, he added. The departments concerned will have to be equipped with modern training and technology in order to cope with natural calamities, he said, adding that Punjab Disaster Management Authority and Rescue 1122 had been established on modern lines. The government deems its fundamental obligation to protect lives of the people. Providing awareness to the general public is highly essential in order to deal with any untoward or natural calamity. Fruitful results can only be achieved by utilising modern technology with regard to disaster management, he added.