2 April, 2005	Saturday	22 Safar 1426

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SIALKOT, April 1: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said that the masses have rejected the MMA’s strike call. The chief minister said this while addressing a big public meeting at Kammanwala village in the Sialkot border area on Friday. He said the strike call was entirely against the national interest as such steps created hurdles in the smooth way of economic development.

He urged the masses to come forward to foil all such anti-social activities of the MMA and other opposition parties. The chief minister asked the Sialkot PML leaders to get united and prepare themselves for the forthcoming local bodies election.

The Punjab government, he said, had decided to upgrade Punjab’s all elementary/middle schools to high schools in the next two years. The step had been taken to promote free education for everyone. He said the irrigation system in Punjab was also being looked up with a total cost of Rs370 million. The provincial government would make every effort to control the wheat support price. The price would not be allowed to drop from Rs400 per maund.

The CM said the provincial government had allocated Rs140 million for the construction of Sambrial-Dhaanawali Road, Rs50 million for the repair of MR Link Canal banks near Saahowala, Rs120 million for Daska THQ Hospital and Rs1 billion for Shehbazpur bridge near Gujrat.

Mr Elahi also announced the establishment of four colleges — two each for boys and girls, in the constituencies of NA Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Hussain and Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema. Besides, he also announced the establishment of a boys college at Maraakiwal and widening of the canal bridge in Daska. NA Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Hussain, Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema and Sialkot Tehsil Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema also addressed the meeting.