LAHORE: The PPP has announced launching a movement to mobilise public opinion in favour of dams and against Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project.

“The PPP demands the Punjab government to defer the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project indefinitely and divert its funds (Rs165bn) to building dams. Conservation of rainwater is critical for the future of the agriculture in the province.

Therefore, building of water reservoirs is the need of the hour,” PPP Central Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo said after a meeting with party workers here on Tuesday.

He said the Shahbaz government had a flawed development strategy causing urban-rural divide. The PML-N government, he said, had been in power in Punjab for about two decades but it could not pay attention to build water reservoirs reflecting the ‘shortsightedness’ of its leadership. “One wonder that Shahbaz has failed to see looming dangers of drought,” he said.

Wattoo said floods seemingly had become a regular feature of Pakistan especially Punjab due to erratic weather pattern causing loss of life, property and crops each year, but the provincial government was wasting billions of rupees on metro bus and train projects.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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