CM orders rain contingency measures

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed all the relevant departments of the provincial government and district administrations to take preventive measures to avoid any untoward situation due to the possibility of heavy rains.

She also directed the relevant departments to share early prediction of increase in severity of rainstorm and cold weather expected in the province from March 11 to 14.

She called for preparations to shift residents of low-lying areas to safe places if the need arises. “The public should be warned about the situation in advance,” she said and added that help should be taken from the mainstream media, social media and mobile alerts service in this regard.

The chief minister directed the agencies like the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Rescue 1122 to take effective steps in close coordination with all the relevant departments to ensure public safety.

She also directed the departments to take effective measures for the protection of livestock in the rural areas. In another development, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the provincial health secretary to immediately start the treatment of a boy suffering from brain tumour, Farzan, from Qila Didar Singh, Gujranwala.

She issued the instructions on the recommendations of a medical board constituted for Farzan’s treatment. The board had earlier recommended then treatment abroad, but assessed after further research that the child can be treated in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2024.