BAHAWALPUR: The Pakistan Railways may open the newly-constructed building of the Bahawalpur railway station next month.

Multan Railways Division Divisional Commercial Officer/PRO Mrs Nabila Aslam told Dawn that the state-of-the-art building costing over Rs220 million was being completed by the contractor and it would be handed over to the railways after thorough checking by the officials.

She said PR Divisional Superintendent (Multan railways division) Daudpota was expected to inspect the building soon and it would be opened for passengers in August.

The work on the mega project of triple-storey building began in 2017 and was to be completed within one year. The deadline was later extended.

RING ROAD: The Rs5 billion project of 10-kilometre long ring road has not been completed during the last three years.

The work on the project was launched during Shahbaz Sharif’s government but it could not be completed in stipulated time due to slow release of funds. It is meant to provide an alternative route to the vehicular traffic from the railway station to the city’s main thoroughfares such as Fowara Chowk and Farid Gate.

At a meeting chaired by Divisional Commissioner Nayyar Iqbal the other day, it was told that Rs208 million were released in 2016, Rs77 million in 2017 and and Rs17 million in 2018. This year, the meeting was told, Rs194 million had been allocated for the road.

The commissioner directed the officials to complete the sewerage work along the road and expedite the project.

AGRI PROJECTS: Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Lala Tahir Randhawa claimed that the government had allocated more than Rs15 billion for 47 mega projects in the agriculture sector, says a handout.

The parliamentary secretary said these projects were aimed at improving the agriculture sector and increase per acre yield of crops for the betterment of farmers.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2019