Daily Times

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, chairing a meeting on price control immediately after her return to Lahore from Murree on Monday, reviewed food prices, especially the prices of bread and flour in each district.

The CM directed the authorities to never allow bread to be sold above the fixed price in any city, saying that flour should be supplied to people across the province at controlled rate.

The chief minister was briefed by Secretary Industry Ehsan Bhatta about the prices of essential commodities in the province. She was also briefed in detail about price control efforts of the administration in different districts. She was apprised that as per a report of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Punjab has the lowest food rates compared to all other provinces.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over price control mechanism in the province, and appreciated the efforts of administrative authorities in this regard.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Chairperson Price Control Task Force Salma Butt and MPA Sania Ashiq attended the meeting. Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Zafar Dal, Secretary Industry, Secretary Agriculture and other relevant officers were also present. Separately, Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif condemned a terrorist attack in Kalat, and paid rich tribute to the sacrifices of levies, police and innocent civilians in fighting the menace of terrorism. The chief minister offered sincere condolences and expressed her heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has launched an online approval system for residential building maps under the guidance of Maryam Nawaz.

This initiative allows citizens to obtain approvals from the comforts of their homes without having to visit the LDA office or wait in long queues. The chief minister commended the LDA for implementing this online system, which includes map approval requests, map uploads, processing, and payment all handled digitally. In the case of objections, corrections can be made online, and the approved map can be downloaded.

CM Maryam Nawaz emphasized that institutions across Punjab are being digitized to eliminate the file culture in government departments. She highlighted that digital reforms at the LDA are progressing rapidly, promising to relieve citizens from the influence of agent mafias and corruption. She also noted that the Dastak pilot project is yielding excellent results and it will be expanded gradually.

Moreover, Maryam Nawaz Sharif paid homage to Hazrat Ali Bin Usman Al-Hajwairi (RA), commonly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, for his remarkable religious and spiritual services.

In her words of respect for the religious and spiritual services of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh on his 981st Urs, the CM said that he spread the message of love, respect, peace and tolerance.

The CM expressed her satisfaction over the administrative and security arrangements for the Urs. She directed authorities concerned to take all possible measures for the hospitality of devotees attending the Urs, and directed to continuously monitor the security arrangements. Pilgrims coming to the Urs are our guests and they must be treated with love, she said and added that pilgrims and devotees should be offered Langar with love and respect.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that best discipline should be ensured to avoid rush on Sabils. She directed wardens and officers on duty to take necessary measures for the smooth flow of traffic during the Urs.