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Business Recorder
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
66 cities of Punjab to be uplifted in new financial year
LAHORE: Under the Chief Minister Cities Development Programme, the Punjab government has decided to launch development schemes in 66 cities of Punjab in the new financial year. Under this programme, all dirt roads will be paved or repaired, along with the construction and repair of connection roads, and a comprehensive sewage system will be introduced. Moreover, disposal stations will be solarised while sewerage problems will be solved by keeping in mind the needs of the population in 2050. In addition to rainwater drainage, storage tanks will also be built, and restoration of parks will also be included in the project. In this connection, the copies of PC-1 have been sent to the relevant municipal bodies. In this regard, Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq issued instructions while chairing a meeting through a video link on Thursday. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Additional Secretary Ahmar Kaifi, PMDFC MD and Deputy Commissioners of various districts participated. The Minister directed the concerned deputy commissioners to keep the model of the Lahore Development Programme in mind while working on the development schemes. He clarified that there will be no additional recruitment for the Cities Development Programme except for technical experts, and thus, only the available human resources will be utilised. 'The Punjab Local Government Department will complete this mega project in collaboration with Public Health Engineering,' he added. Rafiq said that in the next phase, 110 more cities will be included in the programme; in every city, all dirt roads will be paved or repaired, along with the construction and repair of connection roads, and a comprehensive sewage system will be introduced. 'In this connection, the copies of PC-1 have been sent to the relevant municipal bodies,' he added. He said the deputy commissioners have also been made members of the steering committee. He observed that in the past, only partial schemes were completed in cities; however, for the first time, an end-to-end solution for sanitation will be provided. He directed that transparency should be taken care of while implementing the project on the timeline. On this occasion, the Secretary said that e-tendering and digital payment methods should be implemented in the programme. He directed that before the construction of the streets, sui gas, electricity companies and cable network institutions should complete their work. 'After the completion of the work,' he warned, 'digging will be prohibited without the NOC of the district administration.' He said the use of safe and durable sewer pipes is the highlight of this program, adding that the benefits of HTP-lined sewer pipes will last for the next 100 years. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
CM forms body to oversee Punjab cities' uplift programme
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has formed a provincial steering committee headed by Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq to oversee the cities development programme. Among the other members are Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Zeeshan Malik and Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian. The steering committee established at the provincial level will also take necessary decisions in consultation with the local elected representatives while the steering committee in each district will also work under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner. Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq's disclosed this during his visit to the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC) to review the progress on the programme on Monday. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian and Additional Secretary Ahmar Sohail Kaifi were also present. On this occasion, PMDFC MD Syed Zahid Aziz gave a briefing on the cities development programme. On this occasion, he said the survey for development works has been completed in all the small and big cities of the 35 districts of Punjab. 'This is another mega project of the Punjab government, under which the construction and repair of sewerage, drainage, rainwater storage, parks and streets in urban areas will be completed, while the drainage system will be converted to solar energy,' he added. He observed that the chief minister is following the province's policy of uniform development; in the first phase, 59 cities will be upgraded, and in the second phase, 110 cities will be upgraded. He averred that the project which is devised with the support of the World Bank will end the problems of basic services in cities that have been going missing for years. 'The chief minister has ordered the completion of the project in 50 cities by next year. The PMDFC should complete the PC-1 of each city during the current month, and the steering committee established at the provincial level will also take necessary decisions in consultation with the local elected representatives,' he added. He averred that a drainage by-system is being introduced in every city for the first time, laying special sewer lines will protect groundwater from possible contamination. On this occasion, the secretary, while directing to keep in mind the model of Lahore Development Programme, said that most of the available human resources will be utilised for the cities development programme and only new recruitment will be made for essential posts. He expressed his determination that the entire project will be completed within two years, which will meet the municipal needs of the cities for the next 25 years. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Digital tech key to monitoring ‘Suthra Punjab' drive: minister
LAHORE: Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq has said that the 'Suthra Punjab' programme is a huge project and thus its effective monitoring is not possible without the full support of digital technology. He expressed these views while chairing a meeting held here on Tuesday to review the progress on the project. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Special Secretary Asia Gul and the chief executive officers (CEOs) of all waste management companies participated through a video link. During the meeting, the availability of human resource, machinery and monitoring mechanism in each tehsil were also reviewed. On this occasion, the Minister directed the concerned officers to address the shortage of human resource in Gujranwala City, Pindi Bhattian and Malikwal saying that there should be no compromise on staff attendance. 'It should also be ensured that after marking attendance, the sanitation staff is working at the concerned place,' he added. Taking notice of the non-implementation of SOP in Faisalabad, he said all district managers should ensure mandatory installation of tracking systems on vehicles working under the Suthra Punjab programme. He also said that the waste management companies should send daily reports of monitoring officers to the control room. 'From this month, all types of payments will be made only through digital invoices to ensure transparency,' he added. The secretary directed the CEOs to contact the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) for improvement in the monitoring mechanism so that the data appears in the central control room on time. He said that the phased start of door-to-door waste collection should be ensured. He warned that performance will be determined only from the data received in the control room. He urged the CEOs to regularly conduct spot checks and monitor contractors. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab to lay concrete sewer liners in all cities
LAHORE: Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq has said that they have decided to lay a concrete protection liner for sewer lines for the first time in small and big cities for the smooth functioning of the sewer. 'Laying a pipeline of at least 30 inches will help resolve frequent complaints of sewer blockages,' he said while presiding over a meeting held here on Monday. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Special Secretary Asia Gul and Additional Secretary Development Ahmer Kaifi were also present. On this occasion, Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC) Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz briefed the meeting on the progress of the Chief Minister's Punjab Cities Development Programme. While addressing the meeting, the Minister said that internationally renowned companies manufacturing concrete protection liners should transfer their technology to Pakistan. 'The entire country, along with Punjab, will benefit from the development of large sewer pipelines in Pakistan. The relevant companies will be invited to set up concrete liner plants in Punjab,' he added. 'Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered to solve the municipal problems of 169 cities. A rainwater storage and sewage bypass plan is being prepared for each city for the first time. Due to the bypass system, the polluted sewage water will not mix with the groundwater,' he said. He directed the PMDFC to remove technical shortcomings within two days in the presentation, saying that PC-1 of 59 cities should be completed by May next month, adding that state-of-the-art schemes will be executed in the remaining 110 cities soon. He expressed his determination that the municipal needs of all cities would be met for the next 50 years. 'Rehabilitation of streets, solarisation of the drainage system and preparation of green areas are also part of this project,' he added. Moreover, he hoped that with the cooperation of the World Bank, a beautiful face of Punjab would emerge with the completion of this mega project. On this occasion, the Punjab Local Government Secretary directed that the life of each sewer should be from 50 to 100 years. 'Special care should be taken that the sewer lines that are laid should not be affected by any other scheme in the future. The major problem of cities is the poor sewer system, and that is our focus. We will ensure the completion of all schemes within the timeframe set by the Chief Minister,' he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
15-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Call for transparency in water projects
Punjab Secretary for Local Government Shakeel Ahmed Mian on Tuesday said that the Rawal, Khanpur, and Chahan Dams projects are of critical importance to meet Rawalpindi's water supply needs. Transparency, timely completion, and adherence to high-quality standards must be ensured in every project. He expressed these views while addressing a review meeting on development schemes in Rawalpindi. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Rawalpindi, Engineer Aamir Khattak, WASA Mnaaging Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf, and other officials. Mian emphasised that the Water Supply "DREAMS" Project holds significant importance for the city. The project also includes a 20-megawatt solar power component, which is expected to reduce WASA's electricity expenses. He stressed the need to accelerate the pace of work on the DREAMS project and directed that both transparency and quality be ensured so that the benefits of the project reach the public. The secretary further noted that while the Punjab government is launching mega water supply and sewerage projects in major cities, it is equally committedthrough support from the World Bank (WB)to providing modern water supply and sewerage facilities in 2,000 villages across the province. During a briefing on the DREAMS mega project, WASA MD Muhammad Saleem Ashraf shared that the project would help bridge the gap in the availability of drinking water in both urban and surrounding areas. The Asian Development Bank has released Rs35 billion in funding for the project, which comprises four components. Collectively, Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam, and Chahan Dam will contribute an additional 25 million gallons of water. It was further informed that pipelines and ground storage tanks are being constructed for water distribution, and the filtration plant at Rawal Dam is also being upgraded. The Khanpur Dam component will enable the delivery of an additional 8 million gallons per day, while progress stands at 7.5% for the Chahan Dam project and 6.6% for the additional water supply component from Rawal Dam.
