LAHORE: The Punjab cabinet has expressed full solidarity with the flood victims and announced to give one month’s salary to help the affectees and also approved the release of special funds of Rs 4 billion for the repair work of damaged irrigation infrastructure.
While chairing the Cabinet on Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also announced to reserve his helicopter for the flood victims and said that it should be used to give relief to the distressed population. It was also decided in the meeting to meet the needs of other flood-affected provinces and thus the CM announced the dispatch of medicines and medical staff to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.
“The Punjab government stands with the flood affectees of other provinces,” he added.
The Cabinet endorsed the decision to declare flood-affected areas of Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Mianwali as calamity-stricken and prayer was offered for the departed souls. It also extended sympathies to the bereaved heirs.
The CM directed the relevant officials to speed up the relief activities in a systematic manner and added that tents, food hampers and other equipment will be provided in the affected areas as needed.
“The government will also redress the damages to houses, crops and livestock, and every rightful person will be given his right,” he added. He further directed that no one’s right should be usurped.
On this occasion, it was decided to hand over the auction process of state lands in the Dera Ghazi Khan district to the cabinet standing committee for privatization which will give its final recommendations after reviewing all the issues. The Cabinet also approved renaming Nicholson Road after the late politician Nawabzada Nasrullah. It was also decided to entrust the matter of staff of phase two of the PSDP/ADP funded programme for water courses to the committee and approved the extension of LDA Tribunal President Mansoor Ahmad Khan.
During the meeting, the formation of a new search committee for the appointment of vice chancellors of public universities was approved with Shafqat Mahmood as its convener. The appointment of the chairperson and judicial members of the Punjab Revenue Authority's appellate tribunal and the annual calendar of the 5th parliamentary year 2022-23 of the Punjab Assembly were also approved.
The Cabinet also approved the annual report of the Punjab Public Service Commission for the year 2021, the annual report of the Office of the Ombudsman Punjab for 2021 and the reconstitution of the cabinet standing committees formed in the first meeting of the cabinet.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022