CM approves five new districts in Punjab

Says health, other facilities will improve in new units

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Friday gave in-principal approval to updating the status of five tehsils into districts.

Following the instruction of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, the chief minister approved making Taunsa Sharif, Murree, Wazirabad, Talagang and Kot Addu new districts.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said the promises made to the people have been fulfilled. “I announced giving the status of a district to Taunsa in the big public meeting of Khawaja Shiraz MNA in 2005; and also announced the making of Talagang a district in a large gathering of Hafiz Ammar Yasir in 2018,” he said.

“Thank God, I have approved Taunsa and Talagang as the new districts. Similarly, Murree, Wazirabad, and Kot Addu have also been approved to be made into districts and thanks be to Allah Almighty for fulfilling the promises made to the people of Taunsa, Talagang, Murree, Wazirabad, and Kot Addu,” he remarked.

A high-level meeting, held under the chair of CM Pervaiz Elahi, was attended by former federal minister Moonis Elahi and former CM Sardar Usman Buzdar.

Provincial ministers Basharat Raja, Mohsin Leghari, Raja Yasir Humayun, members of the assembly of respective areas including Khawaja Shiraz Mahmood, Mohammad Khan Leghari, Hafiz Ammar Yasir and others attended the meeting.

The SMBR gave a briefing on new districts in Punjab. The CM noted that health and other facilities would be improved due to improvements in administrative matters.

The decision to create new districts has been made keeping in mind the convenience of the parliamentarians and the people as the fruits of development will reach the doorsteps of the ordinary people.

On the demand of Mohsin Leghari, work has also started on making Jampur a district and a final decision will be taken in this regard in the next few days, he added.

The assembly members from Taunsa Sharif, Murree, Wazirabad, Talagang, and Kot Addu expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi for approving the district status and said that the people will always remember his decision.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said Rs2.5 million will be spent on operation of bone marrow transplant and the government will provide free treatment facility to the deserving patients.

The CM expressed these views while talking with the media after the inauguration of Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI) on Friday.

The CM visited the PKLI Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and expressed his satisfaction over the provision of latest facilities for the treatment in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

The Bone Marrow Transplant Unit will initially consist of 17 beds. As many as 375 kidney operations and 300 liver transplant operations have been done in the PKLI.

He informed that approximately 250 liver transplant patents are being given free treatment while more than 70,000 patients have also been given the facility of dialysis at the PKLI.

The CM congratulated Rescue 1122 on the completion of 18 years of its service in the province and said that the organisation is very close to his heart.

In a statement issued on Friday, the CM noted that Rescue 1122 does not leave the suffering humanity alone in any situation. “I am happy that Rescue 1122 is always at the forefront in the service of the suffering humanity,” he said.

“Accidents, earthquakes, floods, epidemics, medical emergencies, fires whatever, rescue 1122 is the first to reach out.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2022.