February 14, 2008	Thursday	Safar 06, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 13: PML-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif has announced that if voted to power he will convert Gulberg's Doongi Ground close to the Mini Market into a public park.

He was speaking at an election meeting in Ghalib Market under strict security cordon here on Wednesday.

Already a park, the former PML-Q government had commercialised it and leased out to a private company for construction of a modern Imax theatre there.

However, work on the project was halted when deposed Supreme Court judge Khalilur Rehman Ramday issued a stay order against it.

Sharif said the Ring Road project, work on which was about to be executed when the PML-N government was ousted in a military coup in October, 1999, was to cost Rs17 billion. But work on it was halted resulting in escalation of the project cost to Rs70 billion, he regretted and added that even then the scheme could not be completed despite a passage of eight years.

Various plans of the project were made public only to sell out lands at higher rates, he said.

Criticising the PML-Q for wasting public money on construction of new offices for the chief minister, purchase of a luxury jet, a helicopter and several bullet-proof vehicles for the provincial chief executive, he said the former rulers would be held accountable for the "wasteful" spending.

He lamented that children of the poor were deprived of free treatment and education but the rulers were getting their medical check-ups from abroad.

He said the masses were dying of diseases and poverty but the rulers were just raising hollow claims of having filled the treasury.