LAHORE, Feb 17: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi directed on Monday establishment of police check posts along the Sui gas installations to protect them against any act of sabotage.

He gave the direction during a meeting held to review security measures of the gas pipelines.

The chief minister asked the IGP to arrange for police patrol in the areas having gas installations and pipelines in order to monitor activities of the anti-social elements.

He also asked the IGP to take notice of crime in Rajanpur. He took a serious notice of the heinous crime at the Indus Highway like kidnapping for ransom, theft and robbery, and asked police to immediately arrest the culprits.

The chief minister said those harbouring and backing anti-social elements and those damaging sensitive installations would not be spared.

He said police stations would be set up in the areas where the gas pipeline was recently damaged or where there was high crime rate. Special powers were being given to the law-enforcement agencies to protect the installations and new law, if required, would also be framed to further empower them.

Rangers Director-general Gen Hussain Mehdi, Chief Secretary Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa, Federal Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines managing-director and other officers concerned attended the meeting.