July 15, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, July 14: A plan has been formulated for preserving the old and historical buildings in the city, and the provincial government will provide funds in this regard.

This was disclosed by the provincial local bodies minister, Mohammad Raja Basharat, on Monday while talking to mediapersons after attending a two-hour closed-door meeting here at the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) in connection with the beautification of the city.

The meeting was attended by the RDA officials, District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, Tehsil Nazim Hamid Nawaz and Naib Tehsil Nazim Sajjad Khan. The authorities had also invited journalists to the meeting, however, a few minutes before its start, they were told to stay out.

The minister said, according to the plan, the authorities concerned would send a comprehensive list of historic structures in the city to the provincial government for allocation of funds for maintenance. He said the historic buildings in the city were an integral part of the Potohari culture and their preservance was the utmost duty of the government.

The illegal, shaky and faulty sign boards will also be eliminated from the city. Besides, it will be ensured that all signboards displayed are in perfect order, and not posing any threat to the lives of the people, he said.

Mr Basharat told reporters that Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi had decided to distribute the announced compensation among the victims of Bano Arcade collapse within a week.

The chief minister, after visiting the victims in a hospital on April 4, had announced Rs100,000 each for the families of the deceased and Rs25,000 each for those who had received injuries. It may be mentioned here that seven people had been killed and 42 injured when the under-construction Bano Arcade collapsed at the busy Commercial Market on April 4.

The provincial minister said Mr Elahi had already constituted a taskforce, under the chairmanship Sardar Azam, for the beautification of big cities of the province. He said the main objective of his meeting with the RDA and district government officials was to discuss the prospects of turning Rawalpindi into a more beautiful and cleaner city.

He said he was informed during the meeting that the city had a very small fund for its beautification. Therefore, the provincial government will sanction more funds for its beautification.