LAHORE, Jan 8: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday granted ownership rights to 6,000 families living in 33 kutcha abadis on railways lands.

Speaking at a large public meeting convened in connection with the election campaign of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) candidate for Jan 15 byelection Abdul Aleem Khan at the Mughalpura Railway Workshops before the distribution of the allotment letters to the kutcha abadis residents, the chief minister said that his government was committed to working for the welfare of the poor without caring for the costs involved.

He said that he had prayed to God to provide him opportunities to work for the poor on the day he took the oath of his office. His prayer had been granted and he had got his desired opportunity within a month of induction into his office. He said that the civic amenities were the right of the residents of the colonies of the poor and it was the duty of the government to give them their right.

He said that he had directed District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood to provide all the amenities available in the posh localities like Gulberg and Model Town to the kutcha abadis residents without bothering about the funds. The government would provide the necessary resources for the purpose.

He said that the provincial government had decided to provide free education facility to the people upto the matriculation level. It would not only provide free education in government schools but would also bring its standard at par with the educational facilities in the private institutions. He said that if a poor man could procure loan for the education of his children, the government could also provide resources for improving the standard of education.

He said that the problem of kutcha abadis on railways lands had come to his notice in 1985 when he took over as the provincial local government minister. Ownership rights were given to the residents of maximum number of kutcha abadis during the year but people living in abadis on railways lands could not benefit from the policy.

He said that he had talked to the federal railway minister about the kutcha abadis on railways lands after taking over as the chief minister and he had decided to grant ownership rights to the residents despite the opposition of the railways bureaucrats. It was his firm belief that God always helped those working for the welfare of the people.

He said that he had also discussed the demands of the railways workers with the federal railway minister and he had promised to consider the same sympathetically. He said that the workers should wait for the acceptance of their demands patiently as everything could not be done overnight.

Federal Railway Minister Ghaus Bakhsh Mehr said that he had issued a no objection certificate for the grant of ownership rights to the residents of kutcha abadis on railways lands. The old demand of the kutcha abadis’ residents was being met in accordance with the promise made by the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) during its campaign before the general elections.

He said that he had restored the free travel facility of the widows of railways employees. He also agreed with the demand for the payment of overtime to workers because everyone deserved to be paid for the work done by him. He said that the demands of the terminated employees for reinstatement would be decided after examination on a case-to-case basis. He would discuss the remaining issues with the representatives of the workers.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Arshad Khan Lodhi said that the Pakistan Muslim League was accomplishing its promise to grant ownership rights to the residents of kutcha abadis on railways lands made in 1985. He thanked the federal railway minister for accepting the demand for giving ownership rights to kutcha abadis dwellers. He said that funds should also be announced for the development of the abadis.

Punjab Tourism Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said that the alliance of the opponents of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) had shattered due to clash of interests. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Mutthida Majlis-i-Amal had fielded separate candidates for the byelections.

District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood said that politicians elected from the railways workshops constituency had become chief minister and prime minister but the residents of kutcha abadis on railways lands had not been granted ownership rights.

He said that the present government had paid attention to the grant of ownership rights to kutcha abadis residents. It had given ownership rights to residents of 21 kutcha abadis during the past one year against conferring of proprietary rights on 50 kutcha abadis dwellers during 23 years prior to its coming into power. The Punjab chief minister was now conferring ownership rights on residents of 33 abadis in a day.

He announced immediate restoration of power supply to Noor Colony and that of Parachute Colony within a week. He said that no objection certificate for grant of ownership rights to Basti Saidan Shah residents would be issued within a week.

He called upon the federal railway minister to withdraw the orders for ejectment of the vendors earning their livelihood by purveying goods in the railways workshops area for the past 50 years. He said that the railways had built the shops in the area for the millionaires and was trying to displace the vendors paying it the rent of footpaths.— Reporter