Punjab CM approves Ring Road construction plan

Asks officials concerned to complete work on the project without a delay.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave approval to the Lahore Ring Road southern loop phase-III at a meeting of the Lahore Ring Road Council on Friday.

He directed the officials concerned to ensure immediate start of work on Southern Loop phases I, II and III. He said the three phases should be completed without any delay.

Sharif said six interchanges and 10 weigh stations were planned for the 22.4 km long southern loop. He asked officials concerned to pay special attention to horticulture and landscaping along the southern loop. He said trees should be planted along both sides of the road.

Sharif also asked officials to improve the core capacity of the Lahore Ring Road Authority. Earlier, the Lahore division commissioner briefed the meeting about affairs of the Lahore Ring Road Council.

Also on Friday, the chief minister visited the Provincial Assembly where he met some lawmakers in his chamber.

He urged the MPAs to keep a close contact with people in their constituencies and spare no effort to solve their problems. He said the PML-N government was implementing an agenda of public welfare and was working on a number of projects in this regard. He said the government was ensuring high standards of transparency were upheld in implementation of these projects. He said he hoped the budget for the new fiscal year would usher in an era of progress and development in the province. He said record funds had been allocated for education, health and water supply sectors. He said those criticising government’s public welfare initiatives were not sincere to the masses.

Meeting with British High Commissioner

Separately, Sharif met British High Commissioner Thomas Drew.  They discussed matters of mutual interest and promotion of cooperation between Pakistan and Britain in various sectors.

Speaking at the meeting, Sharif said that the two countries had invested in promotion of peace, progress and prosperity in the region. He said relations between the two countries had strengthened overtime. The chief minister said a skills development programme was being successfully implemented in the province with cooperation of the British Department for International Development (DFID). He said another DFID assisted project for educational reforms was yielding encouraging results.

Sharif said the Pakistan Muslim League-N government was introducing far-reaching reforms to restore the confidence of foreign investors in the country’s economy. He stressed the need for promoting trade and economic ties between the two countries.

High Commissioner Drew said that Britain attached special importance to its ties with Pakistan.

He said the provincial government had ensured transparent use of British taxpayers’ money given to the government for its various social sector projects. He congratulated the chief minister for allocating huge sums of money for education, health, water supply and sanitation in the budget for 2016-17 fiscal year.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2016.