PA standing committees issue of be solved soon: Aleem Khan

LAHORE: Senior Punjab Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has said the issue of Standing Committees in Punjab Assembly would be solved soon. It is high time that all stakeholders sit together and work for the mandate given to them by the public.

Speaking to the media outside Punjab Assembly, the minister said the opposition has a very important role in any democratic system. "We must accept each other's significance and give space to work for solving the public issue."

Aleem said that people have great aspirations from Prime Minister Imran Khan and time has come that we honour good proposals from even opposition benches and show practical performance. He underlined that there should be a deadline fixed for completion of inquiries against anyone. Since 2015, the investigation was underway against him and media trial was also going on, he said, adding that he remained Punjab minister for information technology for four years and his comparison with those who remained in power for 40 years was unfair.

Aleem said that there is not a single audit paragraph against his tenure but inquiries were still lingering. Replying to a question, the minister said that past ‘emperors' left their ‘salvages' under heavy debts for which the coming generation will have to pay the price. He claimed that on only one project use of Rs300 billion was wastage of public exchequer while the project (Orange Line Metro Train) was still incomplete. After functioning of the metro train around Rs1,000 would cost as a subsidy for each passenger which no government can afford in the long run.

Aleem said that he has taken a number of steps to minimise the cost and the running losses for which commercialisation of stations was underway. The minister indicated that the metro train project would be completed by June or July this year and the present government had given directions to start work in this regard.

Replying to another question, the minister said that unfortunately there was no planning for solid waste collection in Punjab. Around 80% area of villages was badly ignored where there is no system of garbage collection. He claimed that now in collaboration with the foreign companies recycling plants are being established to process garbage for production of gases, fertilisers, and electricity.

Talking about Basant, Aleem said that no decision has been made about the festival so far.