BAHAWALPUR: Commissioner Saqib Zafar says Bahawalpur division is on top across Punjab in utilising uplift projects during the current financial year.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Zafar said the division had so far utilised Rs15 billion out of a total allocation of Rs20bn on development schemes in three districts of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan.

“The utilised amount is 73 per cent of the allocation, the highest among all divisions in the province,” he added.

He said during his recent visit, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had appreciated the pace of work and the use of allocation.

To a question about reports that most of the financial allocations of Bahawalpur and other parts of south Punjab had been transferred to Lahore for the metro train and other projects, he said no allocation for Bahawalpur division had been withdrawn.

The commissioner admitted that the pace of work on the establishment of a veterinary university had been rather slow. “But now, after the formation of a steering committee on the direction of the chief minister, things would improve,” he said.

He said in pursuance of chief minister’s instructions, steps were being taken to appoint consultants in civil hospital and fill vacant posts in Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH).

He disclosed the chief minister had asked the divisional administration to submit PC-1 for the addition of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), Bahawalnagar, which had so far been without this facility.Talking about poor sanitation at the BVH here, he said sanitary workers of the Bahawalpur Waste Management Company (BWMC) had been deployed to clean the wards during night.

YIP: About 400 youths of the district have been given internship letters under the Prime Minister’s Youth Internship Programme (YIP) to work in various government and semi-government departments.

The letters were delivered by District Officer Coordination Chaudhry Amjad Bashir at a ceremony held at the IUB.

The recipients include 300 girls who have been inducted into various institutions according to their education where they will serve till April 30, 2017, on a monthly honorarium of Rs12,000.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016