Hassan Chaudhry
SHERGARH
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has declared that the Punjab government will purchase four million tonnes of wheat from the farmers and that complaint cells regarding purchase of wheat have been set up across the province to address complaints of the growers promptly.
The Punjab CM was addressing a public gathering after inaugurating wheat harvest here at the residence of federal parliamentary secretary for industries and production Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan at Burj Ilyas in Depalpur on Saturday. Shahbaz Sharif declared that the province had recorded a bumper wheat crop and the government would ensure its trickle-down effect to the grower. Wheat purchase centres have been set up at various places across the province and the government will purchase last grain of wheat from the farmers, he added.
The chief minister claimed that the PML-N started fulfilling the promises it had made during the campaign for the general elections, adding that the resources were being utilized for the betterment of the poor, farmers and deprived segments of the society.
Shahbaz Sharif promised that his government would ensure uninterrupted power supply to the tube-wells and industry, saying that he and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not rest until elimination of electricity loadshedding in this country. He said that comprehensive strategy had been devised to bring about an end to the loadshedding, adding that the work on coal-fired power generation plants at Port Qasim and in Sahiwal would be kicked off next month. He alleged that Nandipur power project had been shelved due to the negligence of the PPP government which had now been completed by the present government in collaboration with a Chinese company and would start functioning next month. On the occasion, the chief minister announced the establishment of an agricultural university in Depalpur, construction of girls’ degree college at a new location, up-gradation of THQ Hospital, industrial state, installation of flood lights in Jinnah Park and Rs1 million for Depalpur Press Club.
Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yaseen, MNAs - Nadeem Abbas Rubera, Moeen Khan Wattoo, Sardar Mansab Dogar, Malik Rasheed Khan, Rana Ishaq and MPAs - Malik Ali Abbas Khokar, Syed Raza Ali Gilani and Iftikhar Hussain Chachar were also present on the occasion.
Later, the chief minister flew to Shergarh where he visited the shrine of Hazrat Syed Daud Bandgi Kirmani and paid homage to the 16th century saint of the Qadri order. After short stay at the residence of MNA Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, the chief minister departed for Hujra Shah Muqeem and thereafter flew back to Lahore.