LAHORE / Bahawalpur - As part of its plan to set up a mini civil secretariat in South Punjab, the provincial government has created two new posts of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and Additional IG Police (AIGP) to head the police and administrative set up in the Southern districts. Posting of officers against these two weeks is expected to be made in a couple of weeks and the two officers will start discharging their mandated functions from July, 1, 2020.
“In line with the PTI’s manifesto and the promise made with the people, we have created two posts of ACS and AIGP for South Punjab Secretariat”, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar announced this in his twitter post on Friday.
Sources in Punjab government said that the basic structure of the secretariat has already been approved along with all SOPs. The new postings in South Punjab is the first concrete step towards establishment of a full-fledged secretariat there, they said. Earlier, the PTI government had announced that South Punjab secretariat would become functional by July 1, 2019; but the government failed to do the needful by the set deadline.
It may be recalled here that establishment of a separate secretariat for South Punjab is in line of PTI’s commitment made with members of Janoobi Punjab Sooba Mahaz (JPSM) just before the July 25 vote. Senior politicians from this region had then formed the JPSM close to the last general elections to press the demand for a separate province for the people living in the Southern region of Punjab. Later, they had agreed to contest election on the PTI’s election symbol after seeking guarantees from the PTI chief Imran Khan that his party will start the process for making of a new province in the first 100 days if it assumed power after the polls.
In the last general elections, the PTI had won greater number of seats from the Southern belt on the slogan of a new province for the Southern region. Also, the previous Punjab Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution supporting the Southern province.
The previous Federal government had also constituted a National Commission on South Punjab province to workout modalities of a new federating unit. Its report is still lying in the National Assembly Secretariat. Also, soon after coming into power in August 2018, the PTI government had pledged to take the preliminary steps for creation of the new province in the first 100 days.
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had in October 2018, constituted a 13-member executive to do the spadework on creation of the new province.
It was then described as the quantum leap by the PTI government to fulfill its election promise of creating a new province comprising Southern districts of Punjab. Headed by Ex-MNA from Bahawalpur, Tahir Bashir Cheema, the executive council comprised Punjab Assembly members from South Punjab and ex-civil servants taken mainly from that region.
CM VISITS ROJHAN MEERI BANGLA
Buzdar visited Rojhan Meeri Bangla where he was welcomed by Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari. The CM took round of Deewan-e-Khas and took interest in architectural work of the 140-year old building.
Dost Muhammad Mazari also showed historic pictures to him. The CM also met with notables of the area and told them the government is committed to develop every backward area, including Rojhan, because Punjab will move forward with the composite development of its backward towns.
TAKES AERIAL VIEW OF RY KHAN AND RAJANPUR AREAS
Buzdar took an aerial view of Rahim Yar Khan, Rojhan, Bhong, Sadiqabad, Kot Sabzal and other areas on Friday to review the damages caused to the crops due to locust attack and issued necessary directions to the DG PDMA, who accompanied the Chief Minister.
The CM directed to take every step to counter locust attack adding that saving crops from locust swarms is the priority of the government.
Every effort should be made to minimize the damages and scope of the anti-locust spray should be further extended as one billion rupees have been issued to succeed the anti-locust drive, he said.
The CM also reviewed the coronavirus SOPs’ implementation and expressed concern over the violation of SOPs in bazaars. He directed strict compliance and made it clear that law will come into action in case of any non-compliance because SOPs are designed to protect the lives of the citizens.
PTI LEADERS AND MPAs CALL ON CM IN BAHAWALPUR
Buzdar met with PTI office-bearers and MPAs at the Circuit House, Bahawalpur on Friday.
During the meeting, different matters came under discussion including the situation of coronavirus, ongoing anti-locust operation, development schemes and establishment of southern Punjab secretariat. The CM affirmed that promise of separate secretariat for Southern Punjab has been fulfilled. Approval of posting of Additional Chief Secretary and Additional IG Police for Southern Punjab secretariat has been given and a notification has also been issued.
He added that posting of ACS and Additional IG in Southern Punjab secretariat will be made soon and they will be posted in Bahawalpur and Multan. Southern Punjab secretariat will be made functional very soon, he affirmed.Usman Buzdar maintained that PTI has taken exemplary steps to remove the deprivations of Southern Punjab adding that people of Southern Punjab will not have to go to Lahore now due to establishment of a separate secretariat.
The establishment of a separate secretariat was the right of people of Southern Punjab which has been given to them by the PTI government, he maintained.
He told that re-appropriation of funds, meant for Southern Punjab, to some other project or city, has already been banned. The sense of deprivation of Southern Punjab is ended due to the steps taken by the PTI government.
The CM regretted that Southern Punjab residents were duped with lofty slogans but past rulers did nothing for Southern Punjab except lip-service.
The people of backward areas were ignored in past tenures and the residents of Southern Punjab have taken revenge of their excesses by defeating them in general elections.
The deprivations of the Southern Punjab will be turned into prosperity and happiness, the CM assured.
Those who called on the CM included Samiullah Chaudhry, Syed Iftikhar Gillani, Ahsan-ul-Haq Chaudhry, Asghar Joiya, Ahmad Usman Chanar, Sumaira Malik and others.