LAHORE, Oct 11: The Services and General Administration Department purchased 40 cars for provincial ministers at a cost of Rs49 million from year 2003 to March 31, 2005.
Punjab Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal stated this while responding to queries related to S&GAD during ‘Question Hour’ of the session here on Wednesday.
He said another four 1300CC cars were purchased with a cost of Rs3.418 million for secretaries.
He further said the chief minister had allowed replacement of ministers’ cars after they covered mileage up to 160,000 kilometres.
The ministers’ cars broke down early as they had to travel to all 35 districts of the province for addressing the public grievances and monitoring development projects, Mr Iqbal argued when opposition members criticised the grants under repair and maintenance of these vehicles.
To another question, the minister said the government was streamlining the process of provision of death grants to heirs of the deceased officials.
When Dr Wasim Akhtar put a supplementary question about scale-wise ratio of death grants to the official, he said that the heirs of officials in BPS 1-15 are given Rs1,300, PBS 16-17 Rs3,500, PBS-18 Rs6,000 and for higher grades the grant was Rs8,000.
MOhafiz Squad: Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja told the house that deployment of Mohafiz Squad was yielding tangible results with considerable decline in street crime.
Speaking on an adjournment motion moved by Malik Asghar Ali Qaisar from opposition benches, the minister said no public complaint against the squads was received, adding that the police initiative was widely appreciated.
He said Mohafiz Squads had been made operational through financial assistance provided by the public, particularly the traders, to check the street crimes.
Speaking on another adjournment motion, Irrigation Minister Amir Sultan Cheema told the house that the government had banned water for fish ponds, orchards and other additional purposes, and irrigation department was not authorised to give water for the same. He assured the mover, Chaudhry Javed Ahmed, of strict action against the officials violating the ban.
On yet another adjournment motion by Opposition members, Cheema informed the house that Punjab government had introduced flat water rate in 2003 following a high-level meeting under Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.—APP