Punjab CM lifts ban on recruitment by govt

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said on Sunday backdoor negotiations are underway at the moment despite long march, but Fawad Ch denied any talk are taking place.

He was talking to the media after laying the foundation stone of the Central Business District (CBD) Punjab Boulevard project here. He said whenever a long march is launched, backdoor negotiations always take place. He said that under the long march strategy, a new team comes for the long march in every district, and the participants in the long march would also stay in Gujrat.

He said under the CBD Punjab Boulevard project, roads remodelling would be carried out from Kalma Chowk to Liberty, and completion of the project would provide ease to citizens in transportation and save precious time of people.

The CBD Boulevard would cost approximately Rs4.2 billion, and it would be an example of its own not only in Lahore but also in Punjab and Pakistan. The project would help promote national and international investment.

According to the vision of Imran Khan, “We will provide all facilities to investors doing investment in the CBD project.” He said a separate cell would be set up in the Chief Minister’s Office to run the matters of investment relating to CBD on a fast-track basis.

He said during his previous tenure, he had launched a programme to computerise vehicles’ number-plates, adding that now the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) had started ‘Go Punjab App’, and citizens would be provided services online at their homes. Now citizens would not have to go to offices for getting token tax, driving licence, death and birth certificates, marriage certificate and other services.

Farmers have also been given the facility through the app for payment of ‘Abiana’ and ‘Malia’, adding that farmers need not to go to patwaris for the purpose. The stamp fee on property tax had been reduced to 1 per cent from 2 per cent, he added.

He said the ban on recruitments in the government departments had been lifted in Punjab. The advertisements for the purpose are being published in newspapers. “We have established five new districts in Punjab and are also going to make three new districts of Lahore,” the CM said adding that some parts of Kasur were also being included in the new Lahore district, and it would also be linked with the Motorway. The Motorway, after going through Kasur, would go to Pakpattan, Okara and Bahawalnagar, and then go up to Sindh after linking Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. The CM also announced launch of Blue Line train project in Lahore. It would run from Model Town, Garden Town to Data Sahib, up to the old airport. It would be completed under BOT [build, operate, transfer] basis and discussion with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in that regard had been started. The loan for the project would be acquired at 2 per cent interest rate, on soft conditions.

The CM said Shehbaz Sharif was only conducting press conferences and seeking loans, while Imran Khan was doing practical politics. He said CCPO Lahore was a good officer, he was doing an excellent duty and the provincial government would not relieve a competent officer.

Separately, Fawad Chaudhry said no talks with the government were under way. He said in a tweet, “[Information Minister] Marriyum Aurangzeb and [Interior Minister] Rana Sanaullah are jokers. Decision is to be made by the King of playing cards. They have constituted a 13-member committee, with whom we are to play cricket,” he said in without further elaborating.