SIALKOT, Dec 7: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has temporarily postponed the 3200-acre industrial estate project near Sambrial, following the pressing demand of local people, whose fertile lands were feared to be affected after its execution.
This was said by Punjab Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Azeem Noori Ghuman while talking to newsmen at Sambrial on Thursday.
He said poor farmers of Begowala, Noorpur Syedaan, Kotli Joiyaan, Miayani Kotli, Nawaa Pind, Malkhaanwala and Kotli Channu villages had strongly protested against the proposed establishment of industrial zone.
The PAC chief said he had informed Pervaiz Elahi about reservations and grievances of the affected farmers, following which the chief minister had temporarily postponed the project and directed the authorities concerned to select a suitable land, keeping in view interests of local growers in this regard.
The Punjab government had allocated Rs50 million for the industrial estate, he said.
WATER PROJECT: Under the special directions of the chief minister, the Punjab public health engineering department will launch an integrated long-term master action programme within the next two months for ensuring smooth provision of clean drinking water to Sialkot city.
DCO Rizwanullah Baig told newsmen here on Thursday that people had been suffering from several diseases owing to the prolonged usage of contaminated drinking water being supplied by the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) through rusty pipelines.
He said special meters would be installed on all new connections, which would help reduce misuse of drinking water in the city.
He said the city had been divided into 10 main zones for launching the project.
The DCO said the provincial government would install chlorine and sucker machines at all 85 tube-wells working under the auspices of the Sialkot TMA and quality of water would be monitored regularly through maximum chemical and bacterial examinations.
He said the Punjab government would soon extend this project to Narowal, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Sialkot, Sahiwal and Jhelum districts.