Senior minister says Punjab govt dedicated to openness

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that the Punjab government is running its affairs with full openness, in accordance with legal obligations and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

This was spoken upon in the Punjab Assembly on Saturday. Of 437 proposals completed under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), more than 340 projects have been accepted and all approval processes will be finished by June 30, she stated.

“No project is approved in minutes. On the contrary, each project goes through a full institutional and legal process before it is approved for the benefit of the public,” she stated.

The minister said that “exemplary arrangements were made across Punjab during Muharram-ul-Haram and Ashura and these efforts should not be politicised”.

She said over 100% of the Environment department’s development budget had been spent.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif, she added, had brought Punjab’s first comprehensive Smog Mitigation Plan and modernized an Environment department which earlier did not even have basic resources.

She said that 11 contemporary environmental laboratories have been set up about Forestry and Wildlife.
She criticized the previous administration’s Billion Tree Tsunami project, saying it was a “historic fraud”. The current government monitors forests on the basis of: Tree coverage, Sustainability, Tree lifespan and Geo-surveillance.

She said “Punjab now has a Digital Forest System, German fire detection technology, AI drone surveillance, Anti-theft systems and a Special Forest Force of 600 personnel.”

“5,600 new water filtration plants are being set up and development work is being done in 2,000 villages,” Marriyum stated. The senior minister congratulated all the law enforcement forces working in operations in the riverine (Katcha) areas of Punjab.

“Rs 58 billion worth of development programmes are being carried out in these areas for providing basic facilities,” she said.

Senior Minister added that so far 500 electric buses have arrived in Punjab of which 345 have been given to South Punjab.

Marriyum Aurangzeb appreciated the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and said that the Punjab government is devoted to its objective of growth, transparency, environmental protection, public welfare and economic stability.