Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that his government was spending billions of rupees to provide comfortable and low-cost traveling facilities to the people of the province.

He said this while chairing a high-level meeting via video link in Lahore to review the progress on ‘Speedo Bus Service’ project. Shehbaz said after Lahore and Multan, Speedo Bus Service was being launched in Bahawalpur and Lodhran next week. He said that modern system of Metro Bus Service had brought revolutionary changes in the transport sector.

The chief minister also inaugurated 1.3 kilometer long Beijing underpass in Lahore.

Earlier in the day, Shehbaz said his government would provide jobs to some 4,848 persons with disabilities.

In a statement on the occasion of ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’, he said: “We as an individual and collective society will have to work for the betterment of special persons.” He stressed the need for sparing a thought for the persons with disabilities. “The Punjab government is taking initiatives for the welfare of such people,” he added.

Shehbaz said the government had increased job quota for disabled people to three percent in the government departments. “Besides, free treatment facilities have been introduced for them at government hospitals across the province and they could get up to 50 per cent discount on bus fares,” he said.

Fed minister meets CM: Federal Minister for Energy Owais Laghari called upon Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday. Talking on the occasion, the CM said that the current government had overturned the darkness in the country. “Previous rulers did not take any initiative to end the energy crisis. The credit of wiping out load-shedding from the country goes to the government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as load-shedding here has become a history now,” he said. The CM furthermore added that despite the barriers created by some political rivals, power projects had been completed in record period. He said that these elements had tried to delay every project of public interest, including energy projects. “Today, they are ashamed of their deeds. Diligent work and dedication shown for execution of energy projects has no match in Pakistan’s 70-year history. The present government has fulfilled the promises it made to the people,” he said.

CM contacts Sialvi: Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif contacted Pir Hameedud Din Sialvi and assured him that his reservations would be addressed.

Published in Daily Times, December 4^th 2017.