KASUR, Oct 6: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has directed officials of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to ensure the provision of gas supply to the old city area by June next.

Inspecting the gas pipeline project here on Monday, the governor asked the SNGPL officials to provide jobs to the local people during the construction work.

Briefing the governor, SNGPL officials informed him that around 10,000 gas connections would be provided after the completion of the first phase of the project. They said some 50,000 people would be benefitted from this project.

He also advised the District Nazim to remove encroachments creating hurdles in the gas supply project.

The governor was informed that the life span of the pipe being laid for gas supply was more than 100 years.

The governor directed the SNGPL officials to prepare a feasibility report on gas supply to Lukhnaikay and Mustafaabad towns.

The governor also visited Wapda, ZTBL, GPO and Nadra offices and regretted that crimes like power pilferage, power theft, stealing of electric cables and other equipments were inflicting heavy losses to the national exchequer.

Later talking to newsmen, he said the Wapda should plug loopholes in its system and ensure accountability of the officials involved in the crime.

He directed Wapda and police officials to constitute special teams to undertake joint raids during night hours to check power theft.

The old power transmission system causing huge line losses should be overhauled and that the consumers should not be issued detection bills for covering line losses, he stressed.

The governor assured that he would take up with the Wapda chairman the proposal of reducing power rates for agriculture tubewells.

He directed the post office staff of the GPO to appoint more staff to facilitate pensioners besides providing shelter and drinking water for the visitors.

Hearing public complaints at Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), the governor said he would use his office for the restoration of livestock project loans.

The bank staff apprised him that the loan facility was stopped some years back due to corruption charges and low recovery rate.

The governor ordered setting up of three more Swift Centres of Nadra at tehsil level in Kasur. He also lauded the performance of the local Nadra office for issuing 294,000 computerized identity cards in a short period.