GUJRAT: PML-Q lawmakers will raise with Cheif Minister Maryam Nawaz the matter of making Gujrat division fully functional.

This was stated by provincial minister for industries and commerce and secretary general of Punjab PML-Q Chaudhary Shafay Hussain while talking to reporters after chairing the first-ever meeting of the Gujrat district coordination committee.

Also present in the DCC meeting were PML-N MNA Naseer Abbas Sidhu and PML-Q MPAs Khalid Ghural, Abdullah Yousaf, Syed Madad Ali Shah, Raja Muhammad Aslam and officials of the district administration, police and other departments.

Mr Hussain said efforts to restore the Gujrat division were being made and his party’s lawmakers would soon be meeting the CM to discuss the matter.

He said the Hafizabad district might be excluded from Gujrat division since the people of the district wanted to continue as a part of Gujranwala division whereas the Gujrat division would consist of Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Wazirabad districts.

The PML-Q leader said that a number of prominent figures from Hafizabad district had met him to keep their district within Gujranwala division.

The then coalition government of PML-Q and PTI Chaudhary Parvez Elahi had upgraded Gujrat as 10th administrative division of Punjab on Aug 16, 2022 comprising Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad districts whereas Wazirabad tehsil of Gujranwala district was also upgraded as a district and made part of new the new division.

However, the caretaker Punjab government under Mohsin Naqvi had withdrawn the notification of Gujrat division but the Lahore High Court restored the status by cancelling the caretaker government’s notification.

But since then the Gujrat division is practically lying dysfunctional and charge of its commissioner and regional police officer was being held by Gujranwala Commissioner and RPO.

Shafay Hussain announced that Gujrat city’s sewerage system would be overhauled with funding from a project of the World Bank whereas the testing laboratory would be set up at the Ceramics institute of the city to benefit the local pottery manufacturing units.

He said that traffic signals of different city squares in Gujrat would be restored at a cost of Rs 25 million.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024