LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has stressed the need for coordinated efforts by the departments concerned for maintaining a high standard of the roads in the provincial metropolis and provision of better facilities to the citizens. He was addressing a meeting held to review the measures taken for the improvement of Ferozepur Road here on Friday. Members Provincial Assembly Hafiz Mian Nauman, Mian Naseer Ahmad and Ramzan Siddique, Commissioner and District Coordination Officer Lahore, Directors General LDA and PHA, Managing Directors WASA and Solid Waste Management, DIG City Traffic Lahore and prominent journalist Iftikhar Ahmad were also present on the occasion. He directed that an effective strategy should be evolved for monitoring efficiency of the government departments and the officials showing better performance should be encouraged while action should be taken against those who fail to perform satisfactorily. He announced cash award of Rs5 lakh for government officials showing outstanding performance in the construction of Ferozpur Road. He directed that parking plazas should be constructed on large pieces of land in the City and announced that a modern parking plaza would be constructed on four Kanal land at Icchra. He also directed to conduct a survey of petrol pumps in the provincial metropolis and submit him a report in this regard. The chief minister said government is implementing a comprehensive strategy for providing better facilities to the citizens and measures are being taken for improving infrastructure throughout the province. He said better facilities could become available to the citizens if government departments perform their responsibilities with commitment and dedication. He said the income generated through the sale of public properties under the privatization policy of the government would be spent on water supply and drainage schemes, improvement of infrastructure and provision of other facilities in the same districts. He directed that besides improving Ferozepur Road, 15 more roads of provincial metropolis should be selected for improvement on the same pattern and a report should be submitted to him within ten days. He directed to adopt a uniform policy for constructing bus shelters on the roads. He said that comfortable seats, water coolers and other facilities should be provided in these bus shelters. He said that keeping in view the increasing traffic in the provincial metropolis, construction of parking plazas is the prime need. He said on the pattern of Ferozepur Road, sites for the construction of parking plazas should be identified in other areas of the City as well. He said parking plazas should be constructed under public-private partnership on large pieces of land like Gulberg parking plaza. He also directed to improve greenbelts in the City. He said that WASA, Solid Waste Management, PHA, City District Government and Traffic police will have to discharge their responsibilities with honesty and commitment for the improvement of the City and provision of better facilities to the people. The CM lauded the services of prominent journalist Iftikhar Ahmad for the betterment of Ferozpur Road and said that the condition of the City could be changed if government departments work with the same spirit and zeal. The CM further said that a comprehensive survey should be conducted of all petrol pumps. He said that a petrol pump situated in Liberty Market has been given on lease for Rs15 million instead of 1.5 lakh rupees which proves that resources worth billion of rupees could be generated for the benefit of the people if a transparent procedure is adopted. He also issued instructions for improving the condition of the road from Lahore Bridge to General Hospital. He also directed that maximum trees should be planted in the City while benches should be placed at suitable spots on side roads for providing relief to the citizens. He said the meeting of the committee constituted for the improvement of Ferozepur Road should be held on fortnightly basis. He also directed to submit him a report regarding the performance of the officials in the improvement of Ferozpur Road. Earlier, Ifikhar Ahmad and Commissioner Lahore Division while giving a briefing regarding the measure taken for the improvement of Ferozepur Road informed that 32 places have been identified for parking and the departments concerned have shown outstanding performance towards making Ferozpur Road a model road. They further said that traders of Ferozpur Road fully cooperated in this regard and the curve policy has been strictly enforced on the 11-km long road. They said 4-Kanal land has been identified for constructing parking plaza in Ichhara whereas a ban has been imposed on constructions on the sides of the road from Chungi Amar Saddu to Mustafaabad.