LAHORE  -  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday sought a plan to protect the people from floods and directed the authorities concerned to purchase machinery to prevent urban flooding.

Chairing a special meeting to review measures for the prevention of urban flooding and river erosion in Punjab,  the chief minister ordered the cleaning of floodways under the motorways, highways and the railway tracks.

 Madam chief minister directed the concerned officials to lower the level of green belts to ensure drainage of rainwater from roads. She also asked them to ensure timely cleaning and rehabilitation of flood drains besides ensuring implementation of laws to prevent flooding.  She agreed to a proposal to build storage tanks in cities affected by urban flooding.

 The chief minister noted that roads are submerged in cities due to defective sewage systems which need to be improved. She added that priority should be determined for the rehabilitation and improvement of the sewage system in view of the sufferings of the people.

Rehabilitation, construction of roads underway under CM’s initiative

 The Communication and Works Department, under the supervision of Minister Sohaib Ahmad Bharth, is diligently working to implement the Chief Minister of Punjab’s initiatives of road rehabilitation and dualization of roads, according to a handout.  

Construction of new roads and public buildings with state-of-the-art infrastructure is also in progress.  These initiatives were announced shortly after the Chief Minister assumed office.

Currently, several infrastructure projects are underway, including a road restoration program with 75 schemes, Sharkhain Bahal Punjab Kushal Program with 462 road schemes, dualization of the 24 km Faisalabad-Chiniot Road, construction of the 93 km Multan-Vehari Road, expansion of GT Road from Quaid-e-Azam Interchange to Wagha Border.

 The Communication and Works Department is ensuring the use of high-quality materials in all projects.

In addition to the road infrastructure projects, the government is also focusing on health and education initiatives, including the renovation of basic health units and rural health centers, the establishment of a model agriculture mall, the construction of Autism School, and new hospitals.

•             Regarding the Chief Minister’s Road Restoration Program, which includes 72 road schemes, the C&W Department has issued tenders for 67 schemes and restoration work has begun on 58 schemes. The Punjab Government has approved 139 billion rupees for these projects and has released initially 45 billion rupees, of which 5 billion has been spent so far.

•             Under the Sharkhain Bahal Punjab Khushal Program, construction and rehabilitation work has commenced on 436 out of 462 identified roads. This project aims to repair and rehabilitate 6989.51 kilometers of roads across the province, with an allocated budget of 136 billion rupees.

•             Other initiatives of 24-kilometer road dualization from Faisalabad to Chinot, are progressing rapidly. Earthwork on one side has been completed, while the existing, dilapidated road on the other side is being unearthed. Construction work on both sections of the Faisalabad-Chiniot road is advancing swiftly.