Dug up roads not to be opened

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Rs80 billion has been saved through e-tendering in the Punjab Development Programme.

Chairing a video-link meeting, she said 100 per cent transparency and quality are the hallmark of her governance model.

She said public funds must be protected and spent judiciously.

She added that roads, streets and neighbourhoods could not be left dug up, as such negligence caused serious inconvenience to the public.

The chief minister set June 30 as the deadline for the completion of all sewerage and drainage projects.

A province-wide ban has been imposed on leaving excavation work incomplete or roads open after digging.

She ordered that all manholes be covered with meshes at the earliest, and agreed to engage traders and the civil society in the safety initiative.

She was informed that desilting and water recharge systems had been incorporated into underground storage tanks.

Geo-tagging of 838,555 manholes across the province has been completed, while installation of protective nets is under way. Over 3,000 manholes have been fitted with nets and meshes.

Desilting of drainage channels and sewerage lines has been carried out in 41 cities, removing 550 tonnes of silt and sludge.

Officials said 91 jetting and suction machines, 77 desilting and 100 dewatering sets were being deployed across the province.

They said work on Phase I and II of the development programme was progressing at a fast pace with an estimated cost of Rs204 billion. In Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Okara, Jhang, Multan and Sialkot, over 57 per cent work under Phase I has been completed, while in Jhelum, Hafizabad, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Nankana and Rawalpindi, the same percentage of Phase II has also been completed.