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| March 18, 2007 | Sunday | Safar 28, 1428 |
Rs 4 billion gas project for lower Punjab
PAKPATTAN, March 17: President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday announced the provision of natural gas to southern Punjab under a Rs4 billion project. He also announced ownership rights to people living in 21 katchi abadis in south Punjab and added the government would continue empowering the common man.
He said the people of Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar and Vehari districts and 11 tehsils besides other towns and villages along the gas pipeline would benefit from the gas supply project.
He said the country was experiencing unprecedented progress in communications, health and education.
The president also announced sewerage and water supply schemes for Pakpattan and Arifwala for which Rs200 million will be provided by the Punjab government and an equal amount by the federal government. He also announced setting up of poly technical institutes in Pakpattan and Arifwala besides upgrading of Pakpattan Railway station and provision of facilities for promotion of sports in the area.
President Musharraf said Rs2.5 million would be provided to each union council of Pakpattan for development schemes and asked the chief minister to provide funds for widening of Sahiwal-Pakpattan and Pakpattan-Arifwala roads.
He said a plan was being implemented for development of infrastructure, including roads, railways, airports and seaports, and provision of basic amenities like electricity, gas, clean drinking water and sewerage to the people across the country.
For the provision of water for agricultural purposes, President Musharraf referred to a Rs66 billion project for brick lining of 86,000 watercourses in the country and said half of them had been completed with Rs30 billion in two-and-a-half years.
He said new water reservoirs would be constructed to meet country’s growing demands in the industrial and agricultural sectors.
“The government will fulfil its pledge to build Kalabagh Dam, while the construction work at the Bhasha dam has already been started,” he said.
For the supply of clean drinking water, the president said Rs5 billion had been allocated for the installation of filtration plants throughout the country.
About the recently launched National Internship Programme, President Musharraf said the step was to utilise the potential of youth by providing them internship at a stipend of Rs10,000 immediately after post-graduation.
He said through Rozgar Pakistan Scheme, loans from Rs15,000 up to Rs100,000 were being given to the unemployed youth to help them start their own business.
President Musharraf said for the first time, assemblies were completing their tenure in the country. He said this all-around development had been possible because of the availability of funds as a result of prudent economic policies of the government.
The president said, “Contrary to the past when development funds for the whole country were not more than Rs70 billion, today Punjab alone is spending Rs100 billion on development schemes while the federal government has development funds to the tune of Rs415 billion.”
Reiterating his commitment to continue to work for the development of the country, raising living standard of the people by providing basic amenities and alleviation of poverty, the president urged the people to extend full support to him so that the country keeps on moving on the road to progress and prosperity.
He asked the nation to vote for those in the next general elections, who were in favour of Pakistan’s prosperity.
The president strongly condemned the elements involved in the brain-washing of youth and encouraging them for suicide-attacks in the name of Islam.—APP
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