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| July 9, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 1, 1426 |
Public denied entry to governor’s open forum
LAHORE, July 8: Scores of people were denied entry to the Punjab Accountant-General’s office where Governor Khalid Maqbool held an open forum on Friday. The governor was to arrive at the AG’s Office around 9.30am but Mozang, Fane and Turner roads were kept closed to traffic from 8am. Plainclothesmen and traffic police officials besides the AG’s Office security personnel were seen behaving rather rudely to visitors at all entry points.
A plainclothesmen at the Turner Road gate of the office told a visitor the security of the governor had been tightened in view of London blasts.
“Believe me, I have nothing to do with the blasts. Please let me go inside,” was the reply of a middle-aged Punjab government employee who had to collect his last pay certificate from the office.
Rana Amjad Ali told this reporter that he wanted to draw the attention of the governor towards the problems families of 24 farmers had been facing in securing life insurance claims from a private company.
Mr Ali, who had come from Chunian, said his father Nassru Khan of Chunian had obtained the policy through a Bolan Bank scheme about two years ago.
“Like others, I had submitted all required documents to the Bolan Bank branch concerned after my father’s death a year ago, but have yet to receive the claim,” he said.
APP ADDS: Governor Khalid Maqbool said that the government had made elaborate arrangements to cope with the situation arising after flash floods in rivers like the Chenab.
“Adequate flood relief and rescue operations are in progress in the areas affected by the surge in Chenab waters,” he said while talking to newsmen at Punjab Accountant General’s office here.
He said that the Punjab government responded promptly to information about the release of water by India into the Chenab on Thursday, and took necessary measures.
Responding to queries, the governor said that the coming local bodies elections would be held in a fair and free manner.
“We will ensure that all directives and rules of the Election Commission of Pakistan are fully implemented,” he said in reply to a question about wall-chalkings in the city by certain intending candidates.
Khalid Maqbool said that he would soon visit the Utility Stores in the provincial capital to obtain first-hand knowledge on the prices of the commodities.
Earlier, Governor Khalid Maqbool said that the governance system had improved significantly due to the reforms introduced by President Pervez Musharraf over the last five years.
“There is an improvement in the working of government departments; yet there are still a number of problems to be resolved,” he said while speaking at an open kutchery.
Punjab Accountant-General Wazir Ahmad Qureshi and other senior officials were also present on this occasion.
The governor asked the accountant-general to redouble efforts for the resolution of problems of employees and pensioners.
He said that there was enough awareness among people about their rights and added that this was a positive development.
He also listened to the complaints of a number of government employees and pensioners and assured them of his support for the redressal of their grievances.
He also gave away honorarium (one month pay) and certificates to 10 officials of the AG department for superb performance.
PIFRA SITE: He also inaugurated the province’s first functional site of Project for Improvement of Financial Reporting and Auditing (PIFRA) at the Accountant General’s Office.
Briefing the governor on this occasion, Punjab Accountant-General Wazir Ahmad Qureshi said that accounts had been digitalized at the AG’s Office and the District Accounts Office, Faisalabad, since November last year.
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