LAHORE: Chief Minister Parvez Elahi says Punjab has been made the best province in terms of investment in a short period, barriers to investment have been removed and one-window operation facility has been provided for investors.

He was talking to Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce President and Board of Investment Vice-Chairman Chaudhry Gulzar Muhammad who called on him on Monday to discuss the matters of mutual interest.

The process of obtaining NOCs for investment had been simplified, he said and mentioned that foreign investors were coming to invest in various sectors due to business-friendly initiatives. He said Hong Kong-based investors should also benefit from investment opportunities as they would be provided with every possible facility in Punjab.

The CM cited that the property transfer fee had been reduced by 100 per cent for the convenience of people. This fee had been reduced from two to one per cent across Punjab.

He said the Overseas Pakistanis Commission, Punjab, had been activated to protect the rights of overseas Pakistanis. He said Imran Khan gave the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis during his tenure, but the PDM-led federal government took away this right from them.

“We consider Pakistanis living abroad as ambassadors of the country and will spare no effort to solve their problems,” he said.

The CM said the provincial government had increased the annual development programme of Punjab by Rs50 billion.

Gulzar Muhammad said CM’s efforts for the convenience of investors were commendable.

“The confidence of the investors has been restored during your time. Under your leadership, the province will, once again, move towards sustainable development,” he said.

MASSTRANSIT: The 21st meeting of the Punjab Masstransit Authority was held under the chair of the chief minister on Monday where the managing director briefed him about the procurement of new buses.

The CM said new buses would have separate seats for women, blind and differently-abled commuters.

Plying environment-friendly hybrid buses would reduce pollution and smog while passengers would benefit from a cheap and quality transportation system; he said, and noted that exclusive bus stops would be set up for women commuters in Lahore.

The chief minister ordered to expedite the buses’ procurement process and said a timeline should be set for the implementation of the decisions. The process should be completed without delay and a report be submitted while deciding necessary issues, he concluded.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2022