Daily Times

Caretaker Provincial Minister Housing and Public Health Engineering, Barrister Syed Azfar Ali Nasir Thursday directed Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to complete the dredging and de-silting projects of all nullahs by June 30 to ensure drainage of water in case of heavy rains. The minister directed WASA officials in a meeting held here at the Commissioner’s Office, where he was given a detailed briefing on different ongoing projects and the performance of different departments.

Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatha, Deputy Commissioner, Rawalpindi, Hasan Waqar Cheema and heads of all the departments concerned participated in the meeting. Later, addressing a press conference, the minister informed that on the special directives of the Punjab Chief Minister, the performance of the government departments was being reviewed. “We are striving to improve individual performance of the government officials through effective monitoring,” he said adding, efforts were also being made to find solutions to the problems being faced by the government departments”.

He said visits were being conducted in all the divisions so that hindrances if any in the public welfare projects could be removed. “We have to perform our professional responsibilities with dedication and hard work for public welfare,” he said adding, the doors of the government officers should always be opened for the citizens.

He directed Deputy Commissioner, Rawalpindi to launch a grand operation to remove encroachments from all city areas and zero tolerance policy should be adopted against encroachments. He was informed that security cameras had been installed on the cash boxes at 72 shrines (Darbars) being managed by the Auqaf Department. The Minister while talking about the May 9 incidents informed that eight vehicles of Rescue-1122, which were being used for the public welfare, were burnt. Metro Stations were also burnt and damaged in Rawalpindi which would be rehabilitated at a cost of one billion rupees, he added. The Minister said that public properties worth Rs 8 to 10 billion were destroyed during May 9 violent protests.