Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has set June 30 as the deadline for completion of all sewerage and drainage projects across the province. She has also imposed a ban on leaving excavation work incomplete or roads open after digging.
Transparency and Quality in Development
Chairing a video-link review meeting on Saturday, the chief minister said that 100 per cent transparency and 100 per cent quality were the defining features of her government’s development model. She added that Rs80 billion had been saved through e-tendering in the Punjab Development Programme, which she described as the largest development initiative in the country’s history.
The chief minister said public funds were a sacred trust and must be spent with utmost care and responsibility. She stressed that roads, streets and neighbourhoods should not be left dug up after development work, as such negligence causes serious inconvenience to citizens.
Manhole Safety Initiative
CM Maryam Nawaz also directed the authorities concerned to ensure the early installation of protective nets and meshes on all manholes and approved the involvement of traders and civil society in the manhole safety initiative.
During the briefing, it was informed that geo-tagging of 838,555 manholes across Punjab had been completed, while installation of protective nets and meshes was underway. More than 3,000 manholes have already been secured. Officials said desilting works and underground water recharge systems had also been incorporated into underground water storage tanks.
Desilting and Drainage Improvements
The meeting was informed that, for the first time, desilting of drainage channels and sewerage lines had been carried out in 41 cities, resulting in the removal of 550 tons of silt and sludge. A total of 91 jetting and suction machines, 77 desilting machines and 100 dewatering sets are being deployed across the province to improve drainage and sanitation services.
Progress Under Punjab Development Programme
Officials further briefed the meeting that development work under Phase I and Phase II of the Punjab Development Programme, with an estimated cost of Rs204 billion, was progressing rapidly. More than 57 per cent work under Phase I has been completed in Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Okara, Jhang, Multan and Sialkot, while over 57 per cent work under Phase II has been completed in Jhelum, Hafizabad, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Rawalpindi.
The meeting was also informed that a 196-kilometre drainage network had been developed for rainwater disposal, cleaning of 3,497 kilometres of sewer lines had been completed, 110 underground water storage tanks with a capacity of 24.5 million gallons had been constructed, and 200,000 new manhole covers had been installed across Punjab.
The CM said that safeguarding public resources remained the government’s foremost priority and directed all departments to complete ongoing projects within the stipulated timeframe.
