BAHAWALPUR, Sept 18: A desalination plant has been installed in Cholistan for the treatment of brackish water to make it fit for human consumption.

This was stated by Cholistan Development Authority (CDA) managing director Maj-Gen Abdul Razzaq (retired) here on Thursday.

He said the plant has started functioning on Wednesday at Derawar Fort, about 70 kilometres from here. According to him, the plant was installed at a cost of over Rs700,000 in six months. It has the capacity to treat 3,000 gallons of water within eight hours.

He claimed that its operational cost would be nominal. It was the first desalination plant installed in the country.

He said the CDA was laying four pipelines to supply drinking water to the Cholistanis this year at a cost of Rs157 million.

ENCROACHMENTS: The anti-encroachment drive launched by the Tehsil Municipal Administration failed to bear desired results.

A number of people told this scribe that just before the arrival of anti-encroachment squads in various bazaars, pushcart owners disappear and shopkeepers remove encroachments. As soon as the squad passed through the bazaars, they reappear hindering smooth flow of traffic.

They appealed to the TMA high ups to keep their visits secret so that they could take appropriate action against the encroachers.

EXPELLED FROM PML-N: The Bahawalpur district PML-N has expelled four of its office-bearers from the party and cancelled their membership for violating party discipline.

Those expelled are; tehsil Nazim Syed Najeeb Owaisi, former Naib Nazim Syed Mueed Bokhari, Ghulam Murtaza Shah and Syed Fargham Ishtiaq.

A press release said they did not mend their ways despite repeated warnings.

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