Multan-The provincial government has allocated Rs. 173 billion for ongoing and new development projects in South Punjab in budget 2016-2017.
The proposed major projects include Safe City project in Multan and Bahawalpur, completion of Multan Metro project, revival of Lower Bari Doab canal, extension of Tayyeb Erdogan Hospital Muzaffargarh, construction of bridge on River Indus between Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan, establishment of veterinary university in Bahawalpur, up-gradation of Dera Ghazi Khan DHQ hospital, Khawaja Fareed Engineering and Technology University in Rahim Yar Khan and Cholistan Development Programme.
The budget document disclosed that the students of South Punjab will be given 50 percent of total laptop scheme quota which is 18 per cent higher than the population proportion. The budget includes proposals for illuminating 10,000 houses in South Punjab with solar energy, construction of 18 kilometre long roads in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.
Similarly, Rs370 million is allocated for 24 sports projects in South Punjab under which stadiums will be constructed in Kot Addu, Gaggu Mandi,, Fatehpur, Taunsa, Jatoi and Abdul Hakeem while the playground of Jalla Jeem High School and Chowk Azam ground will also be upgraded with these funds. The government has earmarked Rs60 million for construction of women hostels in Multan, Vehari, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi khan and Rahim Yar Khan while Rs5.38 billion for flood and safety banks, Rs480 million construction of courts in South Punjab, Rs3.25 billion school construction, upgradation and provision of missing facilities and Rs175 million for special education in South Punjab.
For Multan projects, Rs3 billion is allocated for completion of metro project, Rs690 million for water supply and sewerage projects, Rs277 million is allocated for Mian Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Rs42 million to construct Special Education Degree College, Rs10 million Rescue 1122 Kumharanwala, Rs10 million for boosting cotton production, Rs100 million is allocated for widening of Bosan Road between Zakariya University and Adda Sahi Chawan, Rs100 million for Rescue 1122 office at Khokhran, Rs394 million Girls Degree Colleges Qadirpur Rawan, Kacha Khoo, Fatima Jinnah, Zainab and Chungi No-6. The Safe City Project will also be launched in Multan during the ongoing financial year and it is likely to be completed till December 2017. Similarly, new specialised units of police like Dolphin Force, Police Emergency Response Unit and Specialised Protection Unit will be constituted in Multan. In health sector, the government has allocated Rs5 million for Shahbaz Sharif General Hospital, Rs10 million for DHQ Hospital Multan, Rs10 million for re-modelling of bio-medical lab in Multan and Rawalpindi, Rs1 million for Kidney Centre, Rs100 million for Multan Institute of Cardiology extension project, Rs80 million beautification of Nishtar Medical College, Rs53 million construction of lecture theatres in Nishtar Medical College.