MULTAN, Feb 16: The government was reviewing the official wheat procurement target of 2.5 million tons for the rabi crop 2001-2 to ensure better dividends to the growers, Punjab Governor Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool (retired) told newsmen on Saturday.

Being cognizant of the growers’ woes due to low wheat prices last year, the governor said the revised procurement target was being worked out to provide relief to them.

He maintained the Trading Corporation of Pakistan had been directed to step into the market for the procurement of cotton. However, he said, the problem of shortage of water would take time to be resolved.

In Multan, he said the sewerage problem would soon be removed by the provincial government.

He told newsmen that he had directed the administration to ensure earliest shifting of the Sabzi mandi to the new location on Vehari Road. The authorities concerned had been directed to shift the truck stands to their specific places on ownership basis near the General Bus Stand, he added.

He said he visited the three proposed sites for the building of cardiology institute in Multan, adding ‘I would like to lay foundations of the project within a month on any of the proposed sites.’

Replying to a question, the governor said there must be a museum in the lively city like Multan. He ruled out the possibility of an interim set-up before the general elections this year, denying there was no plan to bifurcate the Punjab.

Earlier, the governor attended the 5th convocation of the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU). He said the deadlock on the institution’s accreditation by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) would soon be removed.

He urged the young scholars to help society competing on every front and asked the business community to take initiative in sponsoring quality education and research in the institutions. ‘Infrastructure without improvement in quality of education and research contributes little to success, ‘ he said.

Mr Maqbool also visited the Shujaabad division irrigation office and directed the authorities concerned to confiscate salaries of the staff over poor performance under government’s policy of penalty.

He, on his way back, inaugurated a link road to the main Bosan Road.