Suspend south Punjab highways’ head for negligence says Khosa
Governor writes to Ministry of Communication after head fails to turn up at meeting.
MULTAN:
Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on Saturday wrote to the Ministry of Communication to suspend the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) South Punjab general manager (GM).
Khosa chaired a meeting at the Circuit House in Dera Ghazi Khan to review progress on development projects and flood rehabilitation work in South Punjab. The district administration, MEPCO, NHA and NADRA, BISP and Utility Store Organisation heads had been asked to attend the meeting.
GM Bishop Prakash did not attend the meeting, Governor Khosa then spoke to Communications Minister Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan and asked him to suspend the official.
Khosa wrote that he had visited Southern Punjab in August when he asked the NHA to immediately issue open tenders for incomplete flood rehabilitation projects.
He said he had again visited the area on September 10 but the NHA GM was not present for a briefing.
He wrote that truck drivers and residents of the area have organised more than 20 protest demonstrations in the last two months over delay in repairing the roads connecting Punjab and Balochistan through the Dera Ghazi Khan tribal belt.
He said that the NHA GM had been negligent in the discharge of his duties.
No one from the NHA was available a comment.
Separately, the governor wrote to the MEPCO chief executive to start an inquiry into charges that MEPCO officials were demanding bribes from the flood affecteed to complete flood rehabilitation work.
Earlier, he told media at the Circuit House that the federal government was planning to construct 100 Benazir Shaheed villages for the flood affected in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Khosa said elected governments should not be dismissed while they enjoy the support of elected representatives.
He said [Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam] Raisani’s government was ‘being dismissed,’ despite the support of 60 out of 62 members in the provincial assembly.
He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) was ruling on matters that were outside its ambit.
“With the SC setting CNG prices and ordering that the elected government in Balochistan be dismissed, Pakistan is heading towards…anarchy,” he said.
He said conditions in the Punjab were worse than Balochistan but the SC had never taken notice of these. He said Rs24 billion in development funds allocated to Balochistan had been withheld but no action had been taken against the Punjab government.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2012.
Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on Saturday wrote to the Ministry of Communication to suspend the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) South Punjab general manager (GM).
Khosa chaired a meeting at the Circuit House in Dera Ghazi Khan to review progress on development projects and flood rehabilitation work in South Punjab. The district administration, MEPCO, NHA and NADRA, BISP and Utility Store Organisation heads had been asked to attend the meeting.
GM Bishop Prakash did not attend the meeting, Governor Khosa then spoke to Communications Minister Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan and asked him to suspend the official.
Khosa wrote that he had visited Southern Punjab in August when he asked the NHA to immediately issue open tenders for incomplete flood rehabilitation projects.
He said he had again visited the area on September 10 but the NHA GM was not present for a briefing.
He wrote that truck drivers and residents of the area have organised more than 20 protest demonstrations in the last two months over delay in repairing the roads connecting Punjab and Balochistan through the Dera Ghazi Khan tribal belt.
He said that the NHA GM had been negligent in the discharge of his duties.
No one from the NHA was available a comment.
Separately, the governor wrote to the MEPCO chief executive to start an inquiry into charges that MEPCO officials were demanding bribes from the flood affecteed to complete flood rehabilitation work.
Earlier, he told media at the Circuit House that the federal government was planning to construct 100 Benazir Shaheed villages for the flood affected in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Khosa said elected governments should not be dismissed while they enjoy the support of elected representatives.
He said [Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam] Raisani’s government was ‘being dismissed,’ despite the support of 60 out of 62 members in the provincial assembly.
He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) was ruling on matters that were outside its ambit.
“With the SC setting CNG prices and ordering that the elected government in Balochistan be dismissed, Pakistan is heading towards…anarchy,” he said.
He said conditions in the Punjab were worse than Balochistan but the SC had never taken notice of these. He said Rs24 billion in development funds allocated to Balochistan had been withheld but no action had been taken against the Punjab government.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2012.