Aircraft Purchase Justified for Better Governance
Defending the Punjab government’s decision to purchase an aircraft for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told the Punjab Assembly on Monday that the plane had been acquired solely to improve governance and enable the chief minister to serve people more effectively across the province.
Speaking during the debate on the supplementary budget, Aurangzeb rejected criticism of the purchase, saying the aircraft would allow the chief minister to undertake multiple official visits to far-flung districts within a single day. “The aircraft has been purchased to serve the people,” she said. “The Chief Minister travelled from Layyah to Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur in one day. Those who work for the people have to travel extensively, and they need such facilities. Yes, the government has bought the aircraft to serve the people.”
Development Projects and Healthcare Initiatives
Highlighting the government’s development agenda, Aurangzeb announced that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would inaugurate the Sargodha Institute of Cardiology during the first week of July. She also said the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Research Hospital had been completed in a record period, describing it as a major addition to Punjab’s healthcare infrastructure.
The minister said the provincial government was implementing an ambitious urban development programme that would introduce underground water supply networks, clean drinking water systems and modern drainage infrastructure across Punjab. Referring to sanitation initiatives, she said the “Suthra Punjab” campaign carried out during Eid-ul-Azha had been successful and promised that next year’s arrangements would be even more effective. She added that the second phase of the programme, costing Rs70 billion, had already improved cleanliness standards in cities across the province.
Electric Buses and Housing Schemes
Aurangzeb said the government was rapidly expanding environmentally friendly public transport. She announced that 3,000 electric buses would be operational across Punjab by June next year, while the fleet would increase to 5,000 by the completion of the government’s tenure. On housing, the minister said the government had ensured the provision of 170,000 houses during the past 14 months and had set a target of constructing another 100,000 homes during the current year.
Water Supply and Infrastructure Upgrades
She said work was under way on water supply projects worth Rs42 billion in Southern Punjab, including Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur. According to the minister, 5,800 water filtration plants are already supplying clean drinking water to residents across the province. Aurangzeb also said that under the model villages programme, basic infrastructure, water supply and sewerage facilities were being upgraded in 2,400 villages.
She announced plans to establish wastewater treatment plants in every city of Punjab while replacing water supply and sewerage pipelines that are between 70 and 75 years old. The minister informed the House that an urban development programme was currently being implemented in 84 cities across Punjab. She added that Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) institutions had become operational in all 41 districts, while more than 1,500 modern machines had been provided to Local Government bodies to improve municipal services.
The supplementary budget debate continued with treasury and opposition members presenting their views on the government’s spending priorities and development strategy.
