LAHORE: An across-the-board crackdown on encroachments and grabbers of public land is starting in Punjab from Monday.

This was stated by Chief Secretary Akbar Durrani while talking to media persons here on Thursday.

He said the Board of Revenue had been ordered to start the campaign through which all the public land, agricultural or otherwise, grabbed by whosoever would be retrieved.

He said the government was going to allow private practice to doctors in government hospitals on the pattern of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore. This was being done to improve the service delivery in public hospitals. Work on necessary legislation for this purpose was being carried on, he said.

Mr Durrani said the government was also going to immediately take steps to improve the public schools, allocating additional resources for the purpose. Highly educated teachers and better facilities would be provided to the satisfaction of parents, he said.

He said all deputy commissioners and commissioners had been delegated provincial government’s powers to resolve people’s problems at their doorsteps. They had been asked to strictly follow the open door policy and resolve problems of people. This would help resolve at least 50 per cent of the overall problems of the people at the local level, he said.

The chief secretary said a think tank was being created to suggest ways and means to reform different sectors like health, education, irrigation and agriculture.

He said the government was committed to austerity. For that purpose, it would not introduce new development schemes. Instead it would allocate funds for the completion of the ongoing schemes. It had already banned foreign tours and [foreign] treatment by bureaucrats and political leadership. The provincial government would not buy any new car and furniture.

Replying to a question, he said the provincial government stood behind the administrative machinery. All officials must work fearlessly, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2018