MUZAFFARGARH: The Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Care Department has notified that matters related to district health authorities of south Punjab are being transferred to the South Punjab Health Secretariat in phases.

All matters pertaining to the primary and secondary health care departments of 11 districts of south Punjab will now be dealt with at the South Punjab Health Secretariat in Multan.

Tanvir Iqbal Tabassum, secretary of the health of prime and secondary health care department of south Punjab, said that initially the records of pharmacy, nursing, medical officers and women medical officers, specialist cadre, dental and general cadre have been transferred from the Lahore Civil Secretariat to the South Punjab Health Secretariat in Multan. He said the transfer of records would go a long way in resolving the issues of officers and employees in a timely manner.

Also, for the first time, an open court was held at the scenic resort of Mari Top where the Housing Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department authorities decided to spend Rs60 million on a water supply scheme for the Mari Top area of Rajanpur. In this regard, work has started on the scheme at an initial cost of Rs 10 million. The water supply scheme will benefit a large number of people.

South Punjab Housing Secretary Javed Akhtar Mahmood said large pipelines were being laid for the storage of water.

RAPE VICTIM: The family of a gang-rape complainant says they are being pressured by the investigation officer to favour the suspects in the case.

The family said they appeared before inquiry officer Madam Nusrat multiple times where they were told to change their statements to favour the suspects. On Dec 20, the class nine student was kidnapped, and later raped by three people, of them one is nominated.

According to the Civil Lines police, the 14-year-old girl was kidnapped when she was on her way to school. Suspects took her to the local land records office from where she was shifted to a hotel on Dera Ghazi Khan Road and gang-raped. The hotel owner informed girl’s father who rescued her. The police got her medically examined at the district headquarters hospital.

Complainant’s uncle Allah Bachaya told this correspondent that the inquiry officer took time from the judge that she had not completed the investigation while the accused were on pre-arrest bail. The hearing of the case will be on Jan 21.

He alleged the investigation officer was favoring the suspects and also deleted the video of the incident even though the video had been seen by other police officers. The investigation officer was not available for comment.

LAND: The district administration got retrieved 423 kanals from land grabbers during an operation by Kot Addu Assistant Commissioner Amir Mahmood on Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza said the retrieved land would be used for public welfare projects, such as a public university.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2022