LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Sunday said drainage projects had significantly improved the situation during the monsoon, with rainwater that previously remained stagnant for days, weeks or even months now being drained within hours.
She was speaking during a meeting with Members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) from Vehari — Muhammad Yousaf Kaseela, Malik Nosheer Anjum Langrial, Mian Muhammad Saqib Khurshid and Muhammad Naeem Akhtar Khan Bhabbha — during which political affairs, development projects and public welfare initiatives were discussed.
The chief minister said the spirit of public service had been inherited from her political leader, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, adding that the construction of the Vehari-Multan Road was the right of the people of the area and that Allah Almighty had enabled the government to fulfill it.
She said the Punjab Development Programme had, for the first time, introduced a culture of uniform development across the province. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, the situation has improved significantly during the current monsoon due to drainage projects. Rainwater that used to remain stagnant for days, weeks and months is now drained within hours,” she said.
Maryam said farmers in southern Punjab were benefiting from the Kisan Card, while students were receiving laptops and Honhaar Scholarships.
The Vehari MPAs thanked the chief minister for transforming the decades-old, single and dilapidated Vehari-Multan Road into a modern dual-carriageway expressway. They described the project as a game-changer for the region and said the rehabilitation and dualisation of the road had received an encouraging response from the public.
They said the project marked a major milestone in the development of the area, with millions of passengers from four districts benefiting from the Multan-Vehari dual carriageway.
The lawmakers also thanked Maryam Nawaz for launching the electric bus service in Vehari, saying the service connecting Vehari with Burewala and Tibba Sultanpur had provided an important transport facility to residents. They particularly appreciated free travel for students, women and senior citizens.
The MPAs said development projects worth around Rs21 billion had been launched for the first time in the area’s history in the tehsils of Burewala, Mailsi and Vehari. They added that the beautification of Vehari Rail Bazaar had also contributed to transforming the city’s urban landscape.
Separately, CM Maryam Nawaz expressed gratitude to the security forces for their continued success in an operation against terrorists in Balochistan. She paid tribute to the professionalism and sacrifices of the security forces after 15 terrorists were killed and a large quantity of weapons was recovered during the operation.
