Work on 1,538 water schemes under way, Raja tells Punjab PA

Punjab Law and Cooperatives Minister Basharat Raja has said work was underway on the 1,538 schemes of water filtration plants approved for the province under the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority.

Speaking during the question and answer session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday, he said the provision of clean drinking water was the top priority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government, adding that clean drinking water was vital to the health of the masses.

Responding to a question raised by MPA Manaazir Ranjha, Raja said 38 FIRs had been registered against the gang making calls to the citizens for ransom in Sargodha and other areas of the province.

He added the gang's ringleader has been traced abroad and red warrants have been issued for his arrest while the identity cards of 21 suspects involved in making anonymous calls have been blocked.

Responding to another question, the law minister said that the Punjab Food Authority was taking stern action against the factories in Lahore producing ice from contaminated water.

Read Rains cool Sindh-Punjab water dispute

"Last month, 310 raids were conducted against such factories and fines worth Rs870,000 were imposed," he said.

Replying to a query of the opposition MPA from the PPP, the law minister said as per the investigations so far, former MPA Shahaan Hakimeen Malik was murdered by his nephew.

"I sure that Shahaan Malik's killers will be brought to the book. After the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto, the PPP was in power for five years but the killers were not arrested and the PPP workers were still chanting slogans “Bibi hum sharminda haen, terey qatil zinda hain” (Bibi, we are ashamed. Your killers are alive),” he remarked.

The law minister presented the annual reports of four Danish Schools and three Centres of Excellence and Punjab Stamps Amendment Bill 2021, in the assembly which were handed over to the committees concerned by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari seeking a report on them within two months.

On completion of the day's agenda, the chair adjourned the session till July 12 (Monday) at 2:00 pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2021.