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SIALKOT, July 18: The citizens welfare council has expressed its grave concern over the construction of official residences in major public recreational parks.
Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, council chairman Sheikh Pervaiz Iqbal Soni said several years ago, the then Sialkot municipal corporation had got a piece of land on the Kutchery Road from the rehabilitation department for the construction of a public park.
He said instead of establishing the park, the corporation's officials allegedly constructed two bungalows for their bosses. Mr Iqbal Soni said the corporation authorities had also constructed a big official residence in the Gulistan-i-Fatima Park around the Sialkot Jinnah Stadium by spending millions of rupees.
The council chairman said official residences had been built at a major part of the Sheranwala Bagh Park. The remaining portion of the park was covered by untrimmed grass, he said.
He said the district government had allocated a grant of Rs12.7 million for the renovation of the neglected Khayaban-e-Iqbal Park besides providing advanced recreational facilities under a comprehensive plan, but the pace of the construction work was very slow.
When contacted, DCO Syed Tahir Raza Naqvi said the district government was committed to providing maximum recreational facilities in parks besides, constructing a new park near Head Marala with an estimated cost of Rs60 million.
GAS SUPPLY: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Hussain has inaugurated the project of gas supply to Hunterpura and Mughalpura localities with an estimated cost of Rs3.5 million.
Addressing the public meetings there on late Saturday night, he said the government was committed to raise the living standard of the people by providing them all the basic facilities through maximum utilization of all the available national resources.
UPGRADED: The Punjab government has upgraded the Sambrial Government Boys Intermediate College to degree level. This was said by MPA and Punjab Public Accounts Committee Chairman Chaudhry Azeem Noori Ghuman while addressing a public meeting here on Sunday.
He said the provincial government had released a special grant of Rs20 million for the construction of additional classrooms in the college. He announced that the degree classes in the college would start in Sept, 2004.
HOSIERY EXPORTS: Exports of hosiery garments from Sialkot registered an increase of 28 per cent during the last fiscal year ending on June 30, 2004. This was claimed by Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA), Sialkot Region, Chairman Arshad Javaid Sandal while talking to newsmen here on Sunday.
He said the total textile exports jumped to $850 million, showing 12 per cent increase. He said the SRO 410 had facilitated the textile and hosiery exporters by making the procedure easier regarding import of textile machinery.
