BAHAWALPUR, June 19: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has announced Rs20 million for various development projects in the district.

He was speaking to a public gathering at Mauza Hatheji in Ahmedpur East tehsil, about 60 kilometres from here, on Friday night.

The amount has been allocated for Ahmedpur East TMA, boys' intermediate colleges at Hatheji and Kotla Musa Khan, girls' intermediate colleges, and Sui gas for Hatheji, Mubarakpur, Dhoorekote, Channigoth and Lalloo The Moori. He also announced Rs500,000 for the Ahmedpur East bar association.

The chief minister, who visited the district in connection with canvassing of PML candidate Sardar Khalid Mahmood Warren contesting PP-269 bypolls, said the government had allocated a significant chunk of budget for development projects in South Punjab. He said this part of the province was ignored in the past.

The government, he said, would take measures in the next five years to provide facilities to the people of the area.

He claimed that education up to matriculation would be free within years. He said agricultural lands would be provided to farmers with small holdings.

BREAKDOWN: All the telephonic and fax links remained suspended for hours on Friday night due to which the subscribers had to face a great deal of inconvenience.