FAISALABAD, Sept 24: Scores of Nazims, Naib Nazims and councillors of union councils living along the Jhang Branch Canal have asked the DCO to call a special committee meeting to resolve the issue of installation of tubewells for the supply of drinking water to citizens.
In a statement here on Tuesday, Nazims and Naib Nazims — Nadeem Aziz, Mashood Ahsan, Ijaz Aslam, Jawed Rafique, Nasir and dozens of councillors termed the gigantic water supply project funded by a Japanese agency feasible and a gift for the citizens.
They said some so-called leaders of villagers had created problems in the way of smooth functioning of the installation of tubewells along the Jhang Branch Canal.
The time, they said, had now come to resolve this ticklish issue through dialogues and the DCO should immediately call the committee meeting constituted about a week ago.
They claimed that they were not against the greater water supply project and vowed to make all possible efforts for its completion. This foreign-funded project on completion would open way for uplift projects sponsored by other international donor agencies for both rural and urban population of the district, they said.
Some villagers living along the Jhang Branch Canal had launched a protest movement against the proposed plan of the Wasa to install tubewells in their area for the supply of sweet water to citizens.
A committee had been constituted to resolve the matter through dialogues.
PROBE BODY: The Punjab government will constitute a high-powered committee to probe into the causes leading to the baton-charge, use of teargas and aerial firing by the police on villagers of Thikriwala.
This was assured by Punjab Chief Secretary Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa during his appearance before a special committee of the National Assembly, which called him along with other senior administrative and police officials to find causes of police actions against villagers of Thikriwala.
The chief secretary also assured the committee that strict action would be taken against the policemen if they found involved in violation of prescribed rules or misuse of powers.
The committee had been formed after a call attention noticed moved by area MNA Dr Nisar Ahmed against police atrocities especially resorting to baton-charge, using teargas and making aerial firing to disperse over 1,000 villagers. They had staged a demonstration against the police failure in arresting the culprits involved in a dacoity-cum-murder incident on Sept 8.
A source said the chief secretary, the Punjab IGP, Faisalabad DIG, DPO, Saddar SP, ASP and Thikriwala SHO had also appeared before the special committee in parliament and submitted the murder report of Amin Jat.
The chief secretary sought an adjournment and assured the committee that the Thikriwala incident would be got probed by high-powered police committee and none would be spared at any cost.
Hundreds of villagers had blocked traffic on Faisalabad-Jhang Road and staged a demonstration against the area police on Sept 8 for its failure to control the incidents of heinous crime.
They were demanding immediate arrest of killers who had shot dead a villager in a dacoity incident. Instead of tackling the matter through dialogues, the police resorted to baton-charge used teargas and made aerial firing. During the police-public clash, a number of villagers and two constables had sustained injuries.
The police had registered a case under section 7 of the Anti- Terrorism Act and other offences, but deleted the ATC section after the intervention of the Punjab chief minister.