BAHAWALPUR: Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has in principle approved an artificial rain project in Cholistan proposed by the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB).

A press release issued by the IUB on Saturday said: “In principle approval of the project was accorded by CM in an online meeting participated in by IUB VC Prof Dr Athar Mehboob, Divisional Commissioner Bahawalpur Raja Jahangir Anwar, Deputy Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia, and a number of provincial secretaries and other officials.”

During a virtual meeting, the VC briefed the CM on this special weather system to implement the artificial rain project in Cholistan. PRO Shahzad Khalid told Dawn that initially a pilot project on an experimental basis in a limited selected area of Cholistan would be installed with the coordination of provincial officials. According to him, with the implementation of the project, the artificial rain volume could be increased up to 500 millimeters with which a special agro-economic zone over 6.5 million acres could be established.

He said the project was estimated to cost Rs10 billion which would benefit the country’s economy to the tune of $10 billion by which the locals of Cholistan could be main beneficiaries and would become prosperous. The VC also expressed hope that this artificial rain project could help eliminate smog in Lahore.

PROTEST: The Petroleum Dealers Association office-bearers on Saturday took to the street to press the authorities for the acceptance of demand of six per cent commission.

The association led by district president Muhammad Yasin said the increase in the prices of petroleum products had cut margin of profit of dealers and they could not run their businesses without increasing their profit by six per cent.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2022