Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed the authorities to carry out comprehensive beautification of entry and exit points of cities, including ensuring cleanliness beneath overhead bridges, development of green belts and establishment of play areas.
Presiding over a special meeting to review the progress of the Punjab Development Plan (PDP), here on Tuesday, the chief minister ordered decoration of overhead bridges and underpasses and directed that all PDP projects be geo-tagged to ensure transparency and effective monitoring. She also sought a comprehensive plan for the construction of washrooms on provincial highways to facilitate travellers.
The chief minister instructed that roads must be fully reconstructed and restored following excavation for sewerage and drainage projects. She further ordered the establishment of control rooms and management cells in the offices of all deputy commissioners to monitor progress of PDP projects.
During the briefing, it was informed that transparency measures adopted in PDP Phase-I had resulted in savings of Rs 2.8 billion. The first phase of the Lahore Development Plan (LDP) has been completed successfully, while work on the second phase is under way. Under the Punjab Development Plan, development projects worth Rs234 billion are currently in progress across seven cities.
The meeting was informed that sewerage, disposal, drainage and water storage tank projects would be undertaken in Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat and Jhang, while trunk sewerage systems, new disposal stations and rainwater drainage projects would be developed in Jhelum, Hafizabad and Okara. A total of 526 machinery units will be provided for sewerage and drainage systems under the plan, while Phase-II will extend coverage to eight additional cities.
CM Maryam Nawaz stressed that pits dug during development works in streets and neighbourhoods must be properly covered and fenced. She directed that manhole levels should not protrude even by a millimetre to prevent accidents. She also ordered uniform quality standards across Punjab, including the use of similar designs and colours for tiles on footpaths and roads.
She directed the development of green belts and green spaces in every city and called for the creation of a single utility corridor to prevent repeated excavation of neighbourhoods. Electricity poles, she said, should be installed at the far edges of roads, while overhead wires and cables must be properly organised after beautification, with no tangled wiring visible.
The chief minister ordered installation of streetlights in tehsils and said that new, uniform manhole covers made of plastic-like material were being introduced. She also directed that yellow and black stones be used along footpath edges instead of paint. “Our government fully understands public needs and is committed to improving the environment,” the chief minister said, adding that open-air gyms, walking tracks and entertainment centres should be developed in various areas. She also directed installation of benches in open spaces along with small food courts.
The chief minister further ordered an audit of fire safety systems in both public and private buildings. Deputy commissioners of Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Vehari, Wazirabad, Sheikhupura and Kasur briefed the meeting on the progress of PDP projects.