LAHORE, June 8: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi asked on Thursday his party fellows in the Punjab Assembly to ensure their presence in its budget session and play their role in controlling prices of essential items in league with district nazims.
He was presiding over a meeting of the Punjab PML parliamentary party here. Law Minister Basharat Raja and Communication Minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin were also present on the occasion.
The chief minister asked the MPAs to ensure their presence in the budget session and prove that they were representatives of the people.
He said price control committees were being activated to control prices of the items of daily use. The MPAs should control prices in league with their respective district nazims.
He said the federal government had adopted solid steps for providing relief to the people, and was giving subsidy on foodstuffs. Price magistrates were being deputed to control prices and stern action would be taken against hoarders and adulterers.
The chief minister said distribution of resources on the basis of population in the new National Finance Commission Award had safeguarded rights of the provinces. And the process of progress would speed up as a result of the availability of huge resources under the award, he said.
He said a crash programme had been launched for the improvement of water supply and sewerage system in the province. Under it, all old and rusted pipelines would be changed.
The chief minister said a programme for urban development in the southern Punjab had been launched under which water supply and sewerage system in 21 tehsils of the region was being upgraded.
He said the scheme to provide 12.5 acres of land to the landless tillers was being expanded. The scope of the five-marla residential plots scheme for the poor farmers was also being expanded.
The chief minister said the country was getting additional resources because of the best policies of the president. The district governments, too, were being given additional resources as compared to the previous years.
He said a meeting of the tehsil nazims would be convened next week. The tehsil municipal administrations too would be given additional resources.
The chief minister said a comprehensive policy had been devised to change thana culture in the province. MPAs would be consulted regarding the implementation of the policy.
He said PML elections were being held in every district of the province to produce able and honest local leadership. The party would emerge as a powerful popular power as a result of its reorganisation, he concluded.