Railway station lacks facilities
Three platforms of the city railway station are without shades and waiting rooms and the passengers have to wait for the train in the open braving the cold spell with children and other family members.
According to a survey conducted by this correspondent, as many as 2,000 people come and go by train daily but passengers are not being provided better facilities at the railway station. From the eastern side the people cannot reach the railway station because the road is in very bad shape. Security arrangements have also not been made due to shortage of police and other staff.
When contacted, a railway officer said he had informed the authorities about the situation and hoped that all facilities would be provided to the passengers soon.
Construction work of Expo Centre in the city would be started soon to provide better facilities to exporters and industrialists. This was stated by Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Akhlaq Ahmad Butt at a news conference here the other day.
He said the main purpose of the Expo Centre was to protect the interests of exporters and industrialists and promotion of industry at the international level. An exhibition of ‘Made-in-Gujranwala,’ products attracted the business community from all over the world. He claimed that the chamber of commerce and industry provided maximum relief goods to the people of quake-affected areas and it would be continued till the rehabilitation.
The chamber’s senior vice-president, Ziaullah Irfani, vice-president Anwar Aslam and former presidents Haji Murad Ali and Haji Muhammad Aslam, besides members of executive body, were present on the occasion.
The chamber head demanded of the Punjab government to complete the construction work of the GT Road swiftly in view of the inconvenience being cause to motorists.
Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood inaugurated the chemistry department of Government Islamia College here the other day and pointed out that the government would spend Rs54 billion on improving the condition of colleges in the province. The amount would be increased up to Rs62 billion gradually. He said the government was already spending Rs150 billion in every district for revamping the educational institutions. He hinted that Rs21 billion would be spent for school reform under the Higher Education Programme and funds were being provided to each school for its requirements. He disclosed that the government recruited 26,000 graduate teachers and 2,500 lecturers on merit who were performing their professional duties in educational institutions in the province.
He said the government was concentrating on science and technology and computer education to compete at the international level. Earlier, the college principal, Prof Iqbal, and staff members welcomed him and apprised him of their problems.
The councils of citizens at Wazirabad, Ghakkhar, Aroop, Nandipur, Khiali Shahpur, Qila Deedar Singh, Naushera Virkan and Kamoki demanded that the district government and nazims of towns should get implemented the law to tie sack behind horses and donkeys as donkey and horse drawn carts and coaches were spreading dung on roads and bazars.
At a meeting held here the other day, the participants said the cleanliness drive of local-body institutions could not succeed till the implementation of this law. They said hundreds of carts and tongas were running in these towns for carrying luggage and passengers from one place to another. The animals spread dung on the roads which was dangerous for human life.
They reminded that President Muhammad Ayub Khan enacted the law and got it implemented across the country strictly. They suggested that the district coordination officer or district nazim should issue a notification for implementing the law and special teams be formed for checking and monitoring the cleanliness drive.
The motorcycle-rickshaw and public transport vehicle owners protested against the Regional Transport Authority secretary and his staff for impounding their vehicles without any justification and later releasing these after imposing heavy fine to benefit the franchized bus owners. They demanded that the chief minister and other high-ups should abolish monopoly of route of franchized bus service on the GT Road and their vehicles should also be allowed to ply on the road.
At a meeting held here, the participants pointed out that the transport department allegedly directed RTA secretary and motor vehicle examiner that no vehicle should be allowed to ply on GT Road except franchized buses. The RTA secretary and his staff began impounding their vehicles at police stations regularly to benefit the franchized bus owners. The vehicles were released after three days after recovering fine ranging from Rs1,000 to Rs3,000. They said the passengers, including women and children, were being humiliated in franchized buses owing to the rush as the company had failed to increase its buses on the GT Road. They threatened that they would block the road if their vehicles were not allowed.