SIALKOT-Fifty-one workers including the contractor were found involved in theft of sand with heavy machinery from the rivers Jammu and Tavi along the protective dykes near Saidpur-Head Marala.
The police registered a case against contractor Nadeem Akhtar and the others on the report of Assistant Director of Minerals Department Ahsan Saleem. It arrested only two workers Khalid and Iqbal out of total 51 accused in this regard.
The police said that the contractor stole the sand worth Rs0.5 million daily during the last three months. The illegal practice has weekend the banks and protective dykes of these rivers.
The accused would supply the stolen sand to the other cities by using 400 tractor trolleys and 250 dumpers, said the local police officials.
The hundreds of people living in the villages along the banks of the Rivers Chenab, Jammu and Tavi had unearthed the massive theft of sand which had badly weekend the banks, spurs and protective dykes of these rivers near Saidpur and Head Marala.
Meanwhile, Gujranwala Commissioner M Asif, Deputy Commissioner Asif Tufail, ADC (Revenue) Sialkot Dr Umer Sher and senior officials of the irrigation department visited the spot. They inquired about the details of the practice.
The commissioner ordered a strict departmental probe against all the responsible officials for their slackness and negligence in this regard. He appointed the deputy commissioner as an inquiry officer.
BUDGET PRAISED: The local PML-N lawmakers have termed the Punjab budget as people-friendly, and said that the budget would open the new vistas of socio-economic development in Punjab.
They said that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has won the hearts of the people by presenting this people-friendly budget. They said that this budget reflected the aspirations of the public. it would start the mega socio- development projects besides laying the net of the industries and opening the doors of employment to the people.
They said that the Punjab government has allocated massive funds for the development of IT, agriculture, health, education, infrastructure development and social development in Punjab. They said that it could also be called as "Kissan Dost" budget.
They said that it would also strengthen the national economy, establish a strong industrial base besides create the massive opportunities of employment for everyone. It would bring revolution in education, agriculture, health and IT sectors as well, they narrated.
Meanwhile, MNA Armughan Subhani said that Pakistan is moving towards the goal of political and economic stability. The PML-N government is committed to making Pakistan an economical stable Asian Tiger, he added.
He was addressing the party workers at Variyo House Siakot. He said that effective and positive policies of the government are bearing fruit. He said that the government was striving to raise the living standard of the people by ensuring easy and smooth provision of basic facilities at their doorsteps.