For the people: Transporters fleecing the public will be arrested, says CM

Sharif asks price control committee to evaluate impact of reduction in POL prices

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered a crackdown on transporters overcharging passengers.

He was addressing a meeting of the Price Control Committee through video link.

“Vehicles of transporters who have not reduced fares [after the reduction in fuel prices] should be impounded for 72 hours and their route permits cancelled. The driver and owner of vehicles overcharging must be arrested,” Sharif said.

“The chief minister said proper legislation would be done to punish those not following fares schedule approved by the government,” an official who attended the meeting told The Express Tribune.

The meeting reviewed steps taken to provide relief to people in view of reduction in fuel prices.

“Shahbaz Sharif said that according to estimates, the province’s economy would receive a benefit of more than Rs400 billion annually as a result of reduction in the prices of petroleum products,” said the official.

“The chief minister was unhappy with some departments. He said that they were not doing enough to provide relief to the common man.”

Sharif ordered that a committee be formed to evaluate the impact of reduction in petroleum prices on the province’s economy.

Ministers Muhammad Shafiq, Bilal Yasin, Farrukh Javed, MPA Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, the chief secretary and finance, industries, transport, agriculture, food and livestock development secretaries attended the meeting.

Protection of women

Sharif chaired a meeting to review measures taken to protect the rights of women and check violence against them.

Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit Senior Memebr Salman Sufi briefed the meeting on a project for setting up centres throughout the province to provide relief to women who had been subjected to violence.

“Development targets cannot be achieved without bringing women into mainstream,” the chief minister said. He issued instructions to set up a steering committee headed by Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and Population Welfare Minister Zakiya Shahnawaz. The committee should come up with recommendations for setting up centres for the protection of women against violence, he said.  The committee will consist of women assembly members and secretaries of the departments concerned.

Sharif said the government had done effective legislation for the empowerment of women.

Traffic reforms

Sharif also addressed a meeting through video link regarding reforms in traffic and excise and taxation system.

He said provision of quality services to people was a priority of the government. He said use of information technology could help improve the system of registration of vehicles, their sale and purchase, receipt of token tax and delivery of fitness certificates.

The chief minister formed a committee, headed by the excise and taxation minister, to take up the matters for improving the traffic system and brining reforms in the Excise and Taxation Department. He asked the committee to submit a report in this regard within a week.

Sharif stressed the need for steps to improve the flow of traffic on city roads.

National Action Plan

Sharif chaired a meeting to review steps taken to implement the National Action Plan against terrorism.

“Effective steps have been taken against terrorism under the National Action Plan. The ban on the distribution and publication of hate literature should be strictly implemented.”

Sharif said students should be given the lesson of peace, harmony, tolerance and brotherhood.

He said security arrangements at educational institutions should be regularly monitored.

He said the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order should regularly review steps taken as part of the National Action Plan.

Earlier, the secretaries concerned briefed the chief minister about the steps that had been taken to to implementation the National Action Plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.