The 21st meeting of the Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) was held under the chair of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi at his office on Monday.
PMA Managing Director briefed the participants on the procurement of new buses.
The chief minister stated that new buses would have separate seats for women, blind and differently-abled commuters who would be provided seats near the bus entrance. Plying environment-friendly hybrid buses would reduce environmental pollution and smog while passengers would benefit from a cheap and quality transportation system, he added. He announced that exclusive bus stops would also be set up for women commuters in Lahore.
The CM ordered to expedite the buses’ procurement process and said that a timeline should be set for the implementation of the decisions. The process should be completed without delay and a report be submitted while deciding necessary issues, he concluded.
Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti, authority members, MPAs including Col (R) Ghazanfar Abbas Shah, Khadija Umar, Shamim Aftab, Khawar Hayat, Ghazala Farid, secretary transport, chairman P&D, secretary finance, secretary PMA and others attended the meeting.
Separately, President of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the Board of Investment in Hong Kong Chaudhry Gulzar Muhammad called on Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi at his office and discussed matters of mutual interest on Monday.
CM Parvez Elahi stated that Punjab has been made the best province in terms of investment in a short period. Barriers to investment have been removed and one window operation facility has been provided for investors. The process of obtaining NOCs for investment has also been simplified; he said and mentioned that foreign investors are coming to invest in various sectors in Punjab due to the business-friendly initiatives. Hong Kong-based investors should also benefit from investment opportunities as they would be provided with every possible facility in Punjab, he added.
The CM cited that the property transfer fee has been reduced by 100% for the convenience of people. The property transfer fee has been reduced from 2% to 1% across Punjab. He said that Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab has been activated to protect the rights of overseas Pakistanis. Imran Khan gave the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis during his tenure, he said. It is a pity that the PDM-led federal government took away the right to vote from overseas Pakistanis. The incumbent federal government is the killer of the rights of Pakistanis living abroad, the CM stated.
We consider Pakistanis living abroad as ambassadors of the country and would spare no effort to solve their problems; he said and mentioned that the provincial government has increased the annual development program of Punjab by 50 billion rupees in a short time. The volume of the annual development program has reached from 685 billion rupees to 726 billion rupees. The fruits of development would reach the grassroots, he concluded.
Gulzar Muhammad said that CM’s efforts for the convenience of investors are commendable. Parvez Elahi has taken unprecedented steps to invest in a short period. The confidence of the investors has been restored during your time. People still remember the positive work of Ch. Parvez Elahi in every field. Under your leadership, the province would, once again, move towards sustainable development, he added. Ticket holder Gibran Khan and Zaigham Gondal were also present.
Also, Parvez Elahi congratulated the cabinet committee on law and order, police, administration and other law enforcement agencies for the best security arrangements on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Christmas.
In a media statement issued here on Monday, the CM said that line departments deserve accolades for their role in protecting the life and property of the people. With the grace of Allah Almighty and the effective measures of the Punjab government, both celebrations were held in a peaceful atmosphere across the province, he added.
He said that the Christian community celebrated Christmas in a safe and perfect environment and wonderful arrangements were also made for Quaid Day celebrations, for which, he felicitated the line departments. Similarly, cabinet committee members performed the responsibility of establishing peace by maintaining a coordinated liaison with line departments; he said and maintained that the way departments worked, as a team, was commendable. “We have to continue working with the same zeal for maintaining peace in the country” he added.
Separately, Parvez Elahi has said that improving the living standard of the common man was the main concern of the Punjab government.
He was talking with the former member provincial assembly (MPA) Abdul Rashid Bhatti who called on CM at his office here on Monday to discuss different matters.
The chief minister said that historic legislation had been passed regarding the exaltation of religion and the Finality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). “Allah Almighty has blessed us to serve religion and we will further advance the work of serving the religion of Islam,” he said.
The CM thanked Allah Almighty for serving the people every moment of his life. The amount of work done in four months had not been done in the last 10 years, he added. Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti was also present.
