LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday inaugurated clean and green index and clean and green Punjab campaign and took oath from deputy commissioners (DCs) for the success of both campaigns.

He also got registered at the portal as a clean and green champion.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Buzdar said that climate change, smog and natural calamities were affecting cities and overcoming them had become a major challenge. Prime Minister Imran Khan raised voice against climate change at the international forum while the Punjab government was following the vision of clean and green Pakistan.

Local governments have been established under the Punjab Local Government Act while commissioners and DCs have been given the charge of administrators. He said that administrative officers would have to set new trends for clean and green Punjab so that the elected representatives could take administrative officers as role models.

He said that healthy competition would be held with regard to the clean and green programme among 319 local governments and clean and green Punjab competitions were being held in the province on the pattern of the federal government. Twelve districts in Punjab province and seven Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts have been selected for national-level competitions, he added.

He said the decision would be made about the performance of 319 local governments in cleanliness competitions which would be based on seven points and best performing districts and their administration would be appreciated at national and local levels. Such types of competitions will also be held in other districts in Punjab, he added.

The green development programme is being started in collaboration with World Bank to increase the number of trees, he said. He asked field officers to deliver so that Punjab could lead to the clean and green campaign. The Punjab government would provide every possible support as it was an important project which can never be ignored, he added.

Adviser to the Prime Minister Malik Amin Aslam said that planting 10 billion trees programme has proved very successful in the KP and Punjab was also vigorously taking part in trees’ plantation programme. Law Minister Raja Basharat and Housing Minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed also spoke.

The secretary to the local government said the prime minister would announce the names of best performers on March 23 and added the chief minister had approved recruitment of 25,000 sanitary workers and sewer men. Provincial ministers Fayyazul Hassan Chohan and Samiullah Chaudhry, MPAs, chief secretary, chairman of the P&D, commissioners and high officials attended the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2019