Lahore - Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar Monday inaugurated Gulab Devi Underpass and named it after Abdul Sattar Edhi.
The full-height, three-lane underpass will ease the movement of more than 132,000 vehicles while Rs60 million have been saved through transparent tendering.
The chief minister said that the facility would benefit the patients of Gulab Devi, Children, Social Security, and General hospitals while accommodating hundreds and thousands of citizens in their daily movement.
Federal Minister and PTI Punjab President Shafqat Mahmood, provincial ministers namely Murad Raas, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Asad Khokhar and Ejaz Alam, Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) Hasaan Khawar, IG police, Lahore commissioner and deputy commissioner, information secretary, parliamentarians, and PTI leaders were also present on the occasion.
Talking to the media, the CM said that the Gulberg to Jail Road (Siddique Trade Centre) flyover had also been named after poet Munir Niazi. “The Abdul Sattar Edhi Underpass has been completed two months before the deadline for which the LDA director general and governing body members deserve accolades,” he stated and pointed out that the ceremony had been held in the underpass to save public money. “The Punjab government has also saved millions of rupees in every project by ensuring transparency,” he maintained.
The CM announced an elevated expressway project valuing Rs50 billion to facilitate the citizens of Lahore. He said that Rs6.50 billion would be spent to construct multilevel entry and exit points at Shahdara Morr to resolve traffic congestion there.
“The LDA,” he said, “has completed four major projects in Lahore with Rs2.45 billion including the Lal Shehbaz Qalandar underpass, Bab-e-Lahore, elimination of traffic congestion points at major roads and construction of pedestrians’ bridges at suitable places to ease public movement.”
He stated that more than Rs9.16 billion were being spent for the completion of three major projects in the provincial capital. “An additional lane is being built at Lahore Bridge near children hospital. The government will spend Rs4.90 billion for the construction of Data Ganj Bakhsh flyover and Rs2.54 billion for the construction of Shahkam Chowk Flyover project,” he added. “Alongside, the expansion of Sagian Road will be completed with Rs3.40 billion. The main boulevard Gulberg to Walton Road will be made a signal-free corridor with Rs3 billion rupees.
An underpass and a flyover at Karim Block, Iqbal Town will be built with Rs2.90 billion,” he averred.
The CM pointed out that the orange line metro train project was also completed by the current government like other incomplete projects of the previous government. “The past government conceived projects without caring for the welfare of the people and subsidies to the tune of billions of rupees had to be given to run them,” he lamented. “The public transport scheme should have been finalised after proper study. Around billion of rupees were being given as subsidy to six projects including orange line metro train, metro bus system and feeder route system,” he further said and pointed out that income of those projects was minimal.
Replying to the questions of the media, the CM explained that the PTI would perform well in the second phase of KPK’s local bodies’ elections as the first phase had been completed. “The local bodies’ elections will be held in Punjab directly, and the bill has been presented in the assembly. The public representatives will be empowered, and the government will perform well in Punjab,” he said.
To a question, the CM maintained that the volume of work done by Education Minister Murad Raas in his department in just three years was not done during the last 70 years. “Murad Raas has introduced important changes such as e-transfer, e-leave and e-pension while upgrading 1,500 schools. At least 8,000 schools will be upgraded this financial year while a total of 27,000 schools will be upgraded in the next two years,” he said.
“Also, the past government only upgraded 1,500 schools in a period of five years,” he held. “Lahore Technopolis is being established in Lahore over 790 acres of land to provide international quality technology, research-based education and high-tech manufacturing opportunities to the students,” he said. “This project will enjoy all incentives under the special technology zone act along with a tax remission for a period of 10 years,” stated the CM and pointed out that the past government wasted two billion rupees over the knowledge park project without any delivery or performance.
To a question about Nawaz Sharif, the CM explained that anybody could come or go, adding that the law would take its course and everything would be done in accordance with the law. “The allies are with us and nobody should be worried as everything is okay,” he added and announced that the journey of development would be accelerated under the leadership of PM Imran Khan.
Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood lamented that loot and plunder was the norm of the day in the past while CM Usman Buzdar had introduced the culture of transparency and development and his development projects were bringing ease in the lives of the common man as Usman Buzdar was serving the masses with sincerity and commitment. Provincial Minister Murad Raas thanked the CM for solving public problems. The DG LDA also spoke on the occasion.