Daily Times

LAHORE: Although Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has claimed completing the first phase of the Safe City Project in a record time and he addressed the opening ceremony in October 2016, the excavation and cable laying work is still continue in Gulberg and adjacent areas.

Under the project, out of total 8,000 cameras to be installed at a cost of Rs 120 million, some installed cameras have become dysfunctional after the excavation and cable laying work in Gulberg 3 and adjacent areas, Daily Times has learnt.

However, as part of first phase of the project Safe City Project, over 1,800 cameras were installed in Islamabad completing the project successfully there. The first phase included Islamabad and Lahore cities.

A large number of excavation workers can be seen digging out ground up to 4-5 feet down to lay insulated cables of big diameters in various parts of Gulberg. “The contractors have ordered us to speed up work and we have increased number of labourers to complete the task at the earliest,” said labourers who were working in J-Block Gulberg 3.

After implementation of the Safe City Project in Islamabad, the Punjab government is ensuring earliest completion of the project in Lahore.

“Both the project were started simultaneously however, the number of cameras (8,000) is many times more as compared to Islamabad.

Last year on October 11, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif addressed the project’s completion ceremony at Qurban Lines, where the Command, Control and Communication Centre of Punjab Safe Cities Authority was established.

Now the provincial government has also announced similar project for five other cities including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur at a cost of Rs 40 billion. A formal approval has been granted to this second phase of the project at the 44th Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) meeting at the Planning and Development Complex on Friday

According to Planning and Development Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, the PDWP approved the scheme of Punjab Police Department/ Safe City Authority for the year 2016-17, in five cities of Punjab including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur. In these cities, office buildings of Safe City Project would be constructed and security cameras, along with related specialties, would be installed on roads.

The Punjab Development Forum also granted approval for seven development schemes of various sectors at an estimated cost of Rs 23,913.045 million.

The approved development schemes included: rehabilitation 10-12 and construction of 12 wide roads under the Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme (KPRRP) Phase-IV at a cost of Rs 6,938 million, rehabilitation of Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme (KPRRP), Phase-IV in Punjab Highways Department (North Zone), (umbrella PC-I) at a cost of Rs 8022.787 million, construction of Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme (KPRRP), Phase-IV in Punjab Highways Department (North Zone), (umbrella PC-I) at a cost of Rs 990.030 million.

Provision of missing specialties for upgradation of DHQ hospitals (AIMH & GSBH Sialkot) to teaching hospitals, (Part-I) at a cost of Rs 3,802.707 million, provision of missing facilities for upgradation of DHQ Hospital DG Khan to teaching hospital, DG Khan at a cost of Rs 3,634.199 million.

Provision of clean drinking water, sewerage system, PCC and allied facilities in Jallo Mor, Batapur and adjoining localities in Lahore at a cost of Rs 500 million and consultancy services for major programme management support project, stage-I (PC-II) at a cost of Rs 25.322 million.