Buzdar approves S Punjab secretariats design

Solar-powered buildings will help government save millions

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has finalised modern building designs for the Bahawalpur and Multan civil secretariats. Both the buildings will run on solar power and help the government to save millions of rupees on energy cost.

The Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP) has designed both environment-friendly buildings. The authority, on Tuesday, presented models of both buildings to the chief minister for approval. Following approval of the building designs, Buzdar directed the officials concerned to make prompt arrangements to initiate construction works at the sites.

The Punjab government has already given the approval to energise both buildings of the South Punjab Secretariats through solar power. The government has also made a decision in principle to run all new public buildings on solar energy besides transferring thousands of existing schools, hospital and public offices on solar energy.

Punjab energy department’s estimates indicate that the provincial government has to pay around Rs30 billion on account of electricity bills annually.

New solar-powered buildings of South Punjab Secretariat will help the government to save millions of rupees of the taxpayers’ money which would be used on development projects, a spokesperson of the provincial energy department said and added that the Punjab Civil Secretariat building in Lahore would also be converted to solar energy in a phased manner.

Following the approval of the South Punjab Secretariat building designs, the chief minister said contrary to the previous regime, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is fulfilling all its promises.

“We do not believe in hollow slogans. Foundation stones of both buildings will be laid soon. A new era of development has already started in the province under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he maintained.

The chief minister said the past governments had always hoodwinked the people of South Punjab by making false promises. Previous regimes were using funds of South Punjab on selected districts but the incumbent government was giving the people of South Punjab their rights and spending their funds on their wellbeing, he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht said South Punjab Secretariat was not established for political point scoring, rather to ensure the provision of administrative services to the people. If the problems of the people would not be solved with a separate secretariat then its creation would be meaningless.

He was chairing the 41st meeting of the Standing Committee for Finance and Development on Wednesday. The meeting approved the schedule of new expenditures (SNE) for the South Punjab Secretariat besides other important decisions.

The government has already created 70 new posts and posted 10 secretaries in South Punjab for making the new secretariat functional.

Earlier, the government had decided to establish South Punjab Secretariat in Bahawalpur.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a recent tweet said Multan will not be neglected in the administrative affairs of South Punjab. “There will be a functional secretariat in Multan with the additional chief secretary (ACS) attending his office there three days a week,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2020.