BAHAWALPUR: Federal Railways Minister Azam Swati has asked the office-bearers of the Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) to extend their cooperation to the railways to bring forward investors for railways lands worth millions of rupees.

Speaking to the media at the Bahawalpur railway station where a BCCI office-bearers’ delegation met him on Thursday, he said the government was determined to improving the railway system and facilities for the travelling public.

He pledged to root out corruption from railways and take action against the corrupt officials.

BCCI delegation led by president Tanveer Mahmood invited minister’s attention towards the problems of the traders and demanded increase in the quota of seats, berths in the up and down express trains and stopovers of the Karakoram and Jinnah express trains at the Bahawalpur railway station.

The minister assured them of sympathetic consideration of their demands.

Earlier, the minister along with the officials of the Multan division railways inspected the local railway station. They proceeded by train to the Khanpur railway junction.

The minister also halted at Dera Nawab Sahib railway station where the PTI workers welcomed him and demanded that there should be stopover of the express trains at the station.

IUB: The Central Development Working Party of the federal government’s planning commission has approved the Islamia University’s six mega projects worth Rs4,090.294 million.

This was stated by IUB Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Athar Mahboob here on Thursday.

According to an IUB press release, the six mega project approved at the recent meeting of the CDWP included the establishment of IUB’s sub-campus at Ahmedpur East – a project the federal parliamentary secretary for planning and development, Ms Kanwal Shozeb, had proposed to the VC last year.

The provincial government would provide state land measuring 100 acre free of cost to the Islamia University.

According to VC, the other projects approved in this package included department of mechanical engineering, institute of physics, south Punjab agriculture institute and a students’ hostel and a teaching block on IUB sub-campus at Bahawalnagar.

WELFARE PROJECT: Inpursuance of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s instructions, Deputy Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia on Thursday launched a three-week “service at your doorsteps” programme in the city.

The initiative will improve sanitary conditions in the first week, followed by improvement of sewerage system in the second week and cleanliness of government offices and renovation and cleanliness of parks and grounds in the third week.

The DC and Bahawalpur Waste Management Company Managing Director Naeem Akhtar launched the programme at One-Unit Chowk.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2021