LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday banned Iftar parties at official expense and this ban would be applicable to the ministers, secretaries and other government officials.

In his direction, the CM said: “We are custodian of the national resources and austerity is fundamental part of government policies. We want to make people realise that their money will only be spent on public welfare programmes.”

The chief minister also conducted visits to far-flung areas of the province on the first day of Ramazan and inspected special bazaars, a hospital and wheat procurement centres. He suspended Chief Officer Corporation (Rahim Yar Khan) Qasim Manzoor and District Civil Defence Officer Latif Gull over dereliction of duties.

He announced provision of funds for the construction of a flyover and said resources would be provided for the establishment of a cadet college.

The chief minister inspected Ramazan bazaar, emergency ward of the THQ hospital and a wheat procurement centre upon reaching Sadiqabad. He inspected the arrangements made for providing relief at the bazaar set up at Askari Park.

The chief minister also visited the emergency ward of the THQ hospital and inquired after the patients. The government was striving for providing the best healthcare facilities to the general public, he said.

Mr Buzdar later went to the wheat procurement centre at Chak 5/NP in Sadiqabad. He inquired about the arrangements from the farmers who expressed their satisfaction.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the police mobile khidmat markaz in Rahim Yar Khan where he was also briefed on the facilities. He said the scope of the centre would be expanded to other districts.

BAHAWALPUR: The chief minister spent a busy day here, inspecting the Ramazan Bazaar set up on the premises of Model Bazaar in the heart of the city.

He said the subsidy being provided to the masses on essential commodities was not a favour to them but it was the government’s duty to facilitate the general public especially during the holy month. He said the government was providing subsidy in accordance with its financial resources.

The chief minister, said officials, asked a trader to unpack sugar packets to check its quality and directed him to maintain its weight of one kilogram at the fixed price of Rs55.

The traders affected by a fire incident in December last met the chief minister who informed them that he had given away compensation cheques worth over Rs1.8 million to them.During his inspection of Darul Itfal, the CM gave Rs100,000 to the students and informed their teachers that the children would be taken to Murree for a trip after Eid. The chief minister also assured them that he would arrange transport facility for the children and doctors’ posting at the institution.

On the request of the contract employees, he asked Commissioner Nayyar Iqbal to send their cases for the consideration of their regularisation by the Punjab government.

At Sadiqabad’s Ramzan Bazaar, the chief minister paid a visit with a fleet of 31 vehicles.

At the Shaikh Zayed Public School (SZPS) shortly before the arrival of the CM, a doctor whipped out his pistol after an exchange of word with women on the issue of wrong parking. The matter was, however, resolved when the school guards intervened.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2019