An environmental hazard

RAWALPINDI, Sept 10: Punjab Environment Secretary Saeed Wahla on Monday stopped district health department from conducting unnecessary fogging in the residential areas to avoid dengue threat and linked fogging where it would be necessary with DCO’s approval.

“There is no need to conduct unnecessary fogging in residential areas as the anti-dengue medicines containing chemicals are harmful for the environment, so be careful in future and conduct fogging where it will be necessary with the approval of DCO,” he said while addressing a meeting held at commissioner office.

“The next two to three weeks are crucial as after the rainy season there were chances of breeding of dengue mosquitoes and the district administration and health department should ensure to drain out stagnant water,” he said.

Commissioner Imdadullah Bosal said the DCOs of all the four districts of Rawalpindi division would monitor the anti-dengue campaign and assistant commissioners would monitor the campaign in their respective tehsils. —A Reporter

Electronic money order

RAWALPINDI, Sept 10: Pakistan Post on Monday introduced online electronic money order (EMO) enabling people to transfer cash in seconds.

The new online money order has been introduced in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Muzaffarabad, Sialkot, Quetta, Hyderabad and Peshawar.

“People can send from Rs2,000 to Rs100,000 though EMO by paying minimum charges starting from Rs50 to Rs600. This facility is unique of its kind in the country. The process is easy, cheap and speedy,” Postmaster General Northern Punjab Circle Dr Naseer Ahmed Khan told reporters while inaugurating the facility at GPO Rawalpindi Saddar.—Our Reporter

Japanese grant for Lok Virsa

ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Japan has extended a cultural grant of 49 million yen (Rs50 million) in terms of audio-visual equipment for Lok Virsa’s media centre.

Lok Virsa’s executive director Khalid Javaid informed mediapersons that the grant was expected to materialise in December.

He said the Japanese cultural grant assistance was a part of the official development assistance for promotion of cultural and higher educational activities and preservation of cultural heritage in developing countries.—A Reporter

PTI workers’ protest

ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: One could see cracks within Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday when its workers exchanged heated arguments at a public meeting.

They were holding protest against the increase in diesel price outside the National Press Club.

Later, talking to mediamen, the groups introduced themselves as ‘ideological’ and ‘rebel’ workers of the party. Just after start of conflict, local leadership of PTI intervened and pacified them. Asad, a worker of PTI told Dawn that one group belongs to Sohan and the other to Sector I-10.

Earlier, leadership of the city, Tahir Qureshi, Jameel Abbasi, Naeem Khan, Zahoor Malik and others arranged a protest at F-6 Markaz and then marched up to China Chowk and then came to National Press Club.

Jameel Abassi, while addressing protesters said the government had been increasing prices of petroleum products.

“It seems government wants to destroy the economy of the country. The people are losing jobs as increasing production cost had made it impossible for the industrialists to run their businesses. PTI has decided to resist the policies of the government through peaceful protests,” he said.

He demanded of the government to immediately decrease the prices of diesel, he said.—A Reporter