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LAHORE, Sept 21: The government has prepared a package to help farmers overcome canal water shortage through pumping out subsoil water which will be announced soon by the prime minister, the Punjab Assembly was told on Tuesday.
Punjab Irrigation Minister Aamir Sultan Cheema said under the package farmers would be provided diesel and power at reduced rates while another proposal was also under consideration to increase wheat support price.
He was responding to points of order raised by MMA's Waseem Akhtar. Mr Akhtar had alleged that contrary to a government's announcement canals were being closed before Sept 25. He said he had received phones from Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar that only 6,000 cusecs of water was being released into the Balloki-Sulemanki link canal.
He said disparity in water distribution among various districts was giving birth to a sense of deprivation. The minister denied it, saying the reports he had received even today (Tuesday) suggested that the canal was running over 50 per cent of its capacity. At least 15,000 cusec water was being released into it against its capacity of 23,000 cusec.
MMA's Asghar Gujjar urged the provincial government to use its influence or bring a resolution in the house for requesting the federal government to give subsidy to farmers instead of importing wheat at higher rates.
FATEH JHANG CASE: The culprits involved in attack on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at Fateh Jhang, Attock, have been traced and their challans will be submitted with the anti-terrorism court within a few days.
Law Minister Raja Basharat informed the house on Tuesday while responding to an adjournment motion. He said he would not name the outfits involved in the attack right now and the people would soon know when the case would be moved in the court.
He did not agree with Asghar Gujjar's suggestion that security officials should be punished for a lapse on the occasion. Condemning all such terror acts, MMA's Ehsanullah Waqas urged the government to review its policies which, he said, were becoming a reason for generating terrorism.
On an adjournment motion regarding serial killing of children in Muridke, Sheikhupura, Raja Basharat said the government shared with masses the anxiety over the serial killing.
To check such incidents in future, he said strength of police force in the town had been improved, policemen in civvies had been deployed while patrolling system had been augmented.
Claiming that culprits involved in all the six incidents had been nabbed, he said the elite of the town had been taken into confidence at each and every stage of investigation.
PCB: The provincial government has formed a committee to get vacated the piece of land illegally occupied by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Punjab Assembly was informed on Tuesday.
Colonies Minister Manazir Ranjha, on an adjournment motion, said the chief minister had also approved a plan for vacating the land occupied by the PCB more than that had been leased out to it. He said Dewan-i-Khas, a restaurant established on the land, had already been demolished while the house would be informed of the committee's decisions.
