Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar accorded approval to establishing a separate agency ‘Punjab Rural Sustainable Municipal Service’ to improve rural sewerage and sanitation system. He was chairing a meeting here to review the progress on Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme. This agency will be responsible for providing sewerage and sanitation services in rural areas of the province and will have an autonomous board of directors. On the directions of the Chief Minister Punjab, the programme has been started to make 50 villages of the province model villages, stated a hand out issued here Saturday. Usman Buzdar said that setting up a separate body (Punjab Rural Sustainable Municipal Service) would improve sewerage and sanitation system in villages. He assured that along with sewerage and sanitation schemes, other public welfare projects would also be completed in rural areas of the province. Chief Minister said that under Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme development projects worth Rs. 43 billion were being completed in Sahiwal and Sialkot. He appreciated said that projects of parks restoration in Sahiwal and Sialkot were already complete, and added that work was being started on public welfare projects in Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, DG Khan and Multan. Usman Buzdar directed that the process of providing necessary machinery for solid waste management be completed at the earliest. Provincial Minister for Local Government Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, Spokesman Punjab Government Hasaan Khawar, Chairman P&D, Principal Secretary to the CM, Secretary Local Government and Community Development, officers of Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program and officials concerned attended the meeting.