CM for boosting tribal region uplift

Suleman range to have solar power grid station, hill torrent dam, cadet college

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

Koh-e-Suleman administration headquarters will be made functional this year and a cadet college at the Fort Munro hill station will be completed early to provide the best educational facilities to local students, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar announced on Thursday.

Talking to tribal elders in Barthi area of Dera Ghazi Khan who submitted various applications and informed him about local problems, the chief minister issued directives for their solution. He said he knew the public problems as he represented the people living in remote areas of the province. "The development journey has been kick-started, which will be taken forward at an accelerated pace," he added.

The chief minister announced a plan to connect Choki Wala with Balochistan through a road link to reduce the travelling distance by about 120 kilometres.

He said a cement factory and industrial estate would provide new job opportunities to the locals, while Fazilka Kach and other areas of Koh-e-Suleman will be provided electricity through a solar grid station to be set up at Barthi.

Upgrading of health and education centres in the area would improve the access of locals to vital facilities, he said and added that the development schemes would be strictly monitored to ensure transparency and quality.

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The chief minister also expressed hope that the planned Sorra dam would revolutionise the local agrarian economy. He took an aerial view of the Sorra dam site in the Koh-e-Suleman area along with the senior member of the Punjab Board of Revenue and other officials.

 

he provincial irrigation secretary briefed him about the project, which will be completed at a cost of Rs5 billion to promote cultivation in Taunsa and the adjoining tribal areas by providing more water.

CM Buzdar said the government had approved the project to store hill torrents' water. Construction of dams has been planned to utilise the water for agricultural purposes in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

The chief minister said the foundation stone of the Sorra dam would be laid soon, while a feasibility study was being conducted to construct more reservoirs for storing hill torrent water. "This will also save the people from losses resulting from flash floods," he added.

He also said that the past rulers had compounded the miseries of the deprived areas instead of healing the wounds of the hapless people. "They also wasted resources on exhibitory projects and ignored the real needs of the people," he added.

The chief minister also presided over a meeting held at Multan airport, where he was briefed about the law and order situation, administrative matters and pace of work on development schemes. The Multan commissioner, deputy commissioner and regional and district police officers attended the meeting along with the irrigation secretary and senior member of Board of Revenue.

The CM reviewed the law and order situation with regard to Muharram and directed the administration and police to keep a watchful eye to maintain peace.

He said ongoing development schemes should be completed in time while ensuring transparency and quality of work.

He vowed that deprivation of the people of Multan would be removed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2021.