LAHORE, Jan 22: The Punjab government has decided to shift tanneries outside the limits of the urban areas and install foreign funded plants for the treatment of their waste.

Other decisions are to treat sewage being thrown into the Ravi with the assistance of the federal government and donor agencies to protect agricultural land, and install incinerators in all hospitals for the safe disposal of their waste.

The decisions were taken at a meeting, which was presided over by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi here on Thursday. The meeting decided that the tanneries to be shifted outside the urban limits of towns would be linked to central treatment plants, official sources said.

The chief minister said funds for the treatment plants were available with donor agencies, which were keen on collaborating with the provincial government.He promised to collaborate with the federal government and foreign donor agencies for the treatment of sewage being thrown into the Ravi.

The plan was earlier disclosed by the irrigation secretary, who said it was aimed at protecting agricultural land being damaged because of the untreated sewage thrown into the Ravi, mainly at Shahdara. The polluted water was damaging agricultural land up to Balloki and Trimmu. The crops being grown at the affected land were harmful to people and animals, he added.

The chief minister directed the secretary to make a detailed plan of the project so that funds could be arranged for it at the earliest. He said the provincial government was importing incinerators under a plan for the safe disposal of hospital waste. This was being done to prevent diseases spreading because of careless disposal of the waste, he said.

The meeting also decided to provide funds and other resources for the re-organization of the provincial environment department to enable it control pollution in the province.

Meanwhile, a handout quotes the chief minister as directing the departments relating to the protection of environment to immediately prepare an action plan. It was necessary to control land and environment pollution along with the process of development.

He directed the environment protection department to take immediate step for providing clean drinking water to people and preventing pollution of the canal and river water.He also directed the department to guide industrialists on the implementation of all the environment protection laws. He said the department would be re-organized so that all steps for the prevention of pollution could effectively be implemented.

Mr Elahi said the government would provide resources for the completion of various anti-pollution projects. It would also implement plans for controlling pollution of irrigation water with the help of foreign financial institutions.

Environment Minister Makhdoom Ashfaq Ahmad said the department would soon prepare an anti-pollution action plan in collaboration with other related departments.

The meeting was also attended by Adviser Jehangir Tarin, Chief Secretary Kamran Rasool and secretaries of the planning and development, housing, environment, agriculture and transport departments.