GUJRANWALA, June 3: Federal information secretary Rana Bilal Ijaz on Sunday inaugurated the supply of gas connections to Naushera Virkan.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the first gas connection was provided to his political rival for the services he was rendering to the area people. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs220 million.

The secretary said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had provided Rs2 billion for the completion of uplift projects in the constituency. Similarly, former prime minister Zafarullah Jamali had also approved 14 telephone exchanges.

Mr Ijaz said that a dual road from Baghwala to Awan Chowk had also been constructed with an expenditure of Rs250 million besides a 40-bed hospital in Kot Ladha village.

He assured the people that gas would shortly be provided to villages in Chattha, Qila Dewan Singh, Mari Khurd and Jaboki.

Former MPA Abdul Rehman Gujjar and Naushera town nazim Asim Javed advocate were also present.

FEE ROW: A row between the city district nazim and the regional transport authority (RTA) secretary over the recovery of a `sticker fee’ at the general bus stand is still going on.

It was learnt on Sunday that city district nazim Fiaz Ahmad Chattha had asked district coordination officer Manzer Hayat to abolish the RTA secretary office and appoint a district officer (transport).

The source said that Mr Chattha had termed the recovery of sticker fee illegal and threatened to move the case to the Punjab government as the RTA office could not exist under the CDG.

He said although the district administration abolished the office, it appointed RTA secretary Ishrat Niazi as district officer (transport), who is also the administrator of the GBS.

The GBS administration has reportedly started recovering Rs450 per month as sticker fee from each transporter.

When contacted, the general bus stand administration claimed that the sticker fee was legal.