LAHORE, Oct 29: The Punjab government is providing alternative places to the people whose filling stations and other buildings had been demolished by the former democratic government for widening various roads in the city.
Law Minister Raja Basharat told the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday that the government would take immediate remedial measures if any complaints were brought into its notice in this regard.
He was responding to a question put by PML-N’s Ajasim Sharif seeking explanation why the government had provided a piece of state land adjacent to Firdaus cinema on Sanda Road to a man on much cheap rates and without any formal auctioning.
Mr Basharat said the chief executive had directed the Punjab government to provide alternative land to the people affected during the Jail Road project.
Under one such agreement, the piece of land had been given to one Mehr Arshad against Rs400,000 per marla. Arshad also paid Rs10.8 million in advance and agreed to pay the rest of the amount in instalments of Rs200,000 per month.
Mr Sharif said why the man was offered land at a rate of Rs400,000 per marla against its market price of Rs900,000 per marla.
The law minister said the government did not mean business in these agreements, rather it was trying to compensate those who had been rendered jobless as a result of its projects.
Rana Aftab, Arshad Baggu and Nishat Afza continued criticizing the government as Mr Sharif, dissatisfied with the reply of the law minister, opted to walk out of the house to protest the chair’s ‘partial’ behaviour during the discussion.
roads: The Punjab government will get all roads opened to traffic which are closed because of various reasons.
An assurance to this effect was given to the Punjab Assembly by Law Minister Raja Basharat on Wednesday. He was replying to a written query of Dr Javed Siddique from Multan during question hour.
Mr Siddique had claimed that certain roads in Multan Cantonment and other posh localities, where houses of senior officers were situated, had been closed to slow-moving traffic.
The minister denied the claim. Mr Siddique alleged that the minister was telling a lie as there were even sign boards erected there warning owners of tongas and other slow-moving vehicles to the effect.
Raja Basharat said the boards had not been erected on behalf of the government.
The opposition member regretted that towns had been officially bifurcated between elite and ‘untouchable’ classes. He posed the question whether the slow-moving traffic was a security threat to the senior officials.
Rana Aftab said the GORs were the abode of the remnants of the British. He demanded that either plying of tongas should be banned on all roads or it should be allowed in all areas.
The minister said these steps were aimed at better traffic management and not to deprive a section of society of their right to go anywhere in the city.
MMA’s Arshad Baggu pointed out that in Sialkot Cantonment Board, authorities had erected barricades on many roads leading to Cantonment area and even to the CMH. He asked if the government could talk to the defence ministry on the issue.
The minister said that the provincial government would not hesitate in taking up this issue with defence authorities.