24 February 2004	Tuesday	03 Muharram 1425

LAHORE, Feb 23: The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed The Punjab Journalist Housing Foundation Bill, 2004, and the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation Bill, 2004.

Both the bills were unanimously passed while Speaker Chaudhry Afzal Sahi chaired the session. Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja presented the bills.

Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi told the house that legal hurdles in the provision of funds for both the foundations had been removed after the passage of the bills.

He said that the survey in all the districts of the province had already commenced for acquiring required land to construct houses for the Punjab government employees.

"It is my commitment to provide residential plots to the government employees from Rajanpur to Attock districts and we have started practical steps in this regard", said Pervaiz Elahi.

Responding to a point of order raised by the opposition, the chief minister said that he had already directed the law department to remove legal obstacles in the implementation of laws, including that pertaining to lavish expenditure on marriages. However, he said that district coordination officers DCOs would be given more powers to implement such laws.

Later, talking to newsmen, the chief minister said that he would lay the foundation stone of the journalists housing foundation very soon. He asked the newsman to especially thank Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari for his untiring efforts to make this dream come true.

Earlier, during the session members from both sides of the house praised the government for taking the important initiative. The opposition, however, urged the government to take practical steps instead of mere paperwork.

Opposition member Rana Aftab Ahmed pointed out that some influential government employees got more than one plot in different cities in the past and suggested that the practice should not be repeated. The house will meet again on Tuesday at 10am.

Support: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said both the housing foundations bills were aimed at public welfare and merit opposition's full support.

The chief minister was speaking at the parliamentary meeting of the PML-Q and its allied parties before the start of Punjab Assembly session on Monday. Pervaiz Elahi said that all segments of the society had termed the scheme for provision of houses to the government employees at the time of retirement as a revolutionary step of the Punjab government.

He said the government employees had to face a lot of difficulties after retirement because of residential problems. The launching of residential scheme for journalists was an acknowledgement of their services for the society, he added.

The chief minister said he had taken the ulema and religious leaders of all schools of thought into confidence for maintenance of law and order in the province, specially during Muharram. -APP