Lahore: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar laid the foundation stone of Punjab Aab-e- Pak Authority’s first project of Rs 161 million in Chak Jhumra. More than 57,000 people from 16 villages will have access to safe drinking water on a daily basis. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, while addressing the ceremony, said that if I find out that any person of Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority has taken or given commission, he will be punished. We will protect the tax money of the people. Those who fill their pockets with the tax money of the public are criminals.
According to details, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar laid the foundation stone of the first clean drinking water project of Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority in Chak Jhumra on Monday. Provincial Minister Ajmal Cheema, Khayal Ahmad Castro, MNA Chaudhry Zahid Nazir, Members of National and Provincial Assemblies, Chief Executive, Punjab Aab Pak Authority Zahid Aziz, Chairman Punjab Aab Pak Authority Dr Shakeel and others were also present.
Addressing the ceremony and talking to the media, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that ‘’I am grateful to Allah Almighty that the dream I had after assuming office as Governor Punjab is going to be fulfilled today. I also thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for giving me the responsibility of provision of potable water to people of Punjab. He also thanked Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Bazdar, Minister for Housing Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, Minister for Law Raja Muhammad Basharat, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and all members of the Punjab Assembly who played an important role in getting legislation passed.
Governor Punjab said that we have laid the foundation stone of this project which started at a cost of more than Rs. 161 million but we still need to work hard for which every single member of Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority will have to play their role with utmost honesty. Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that you all know that I always speak the truth without any fear and I will continue to do so in the future. There is no doubt that if some people involved in the bureaucracy of Punjab had not halted the procedures, the project that I am inaugurating today would have started a year and a half ago but we want to forget the past and move on now. If I am responsible for the provision of clean drinking water to the people of Punjab, then it is my responsibility to tell the people about whatever hinders it.
Governor Punjab said that billions of rupees were spent on providing clean drinking water to the people during the tenure of Pervez Musharraf and other governments including PML-N but not a single filtration plant is functional today. The Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority will also have billions of rupees in funds but I assure the nation that I will not allow anyone to take or give commission in any project. He said that every penny of the people would be protected in Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority and all the information about every project would be available on our website to ensure complete transparency. We will make the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority such an organization that no successive government will be able to end it even if it wants to. We will create such networks that will ensure uninterrupted implementation of projects.
Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar further said that Filtration plants will not only be installed in the constituencies won by the people of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf but also in constituencies where the opposition parties have won.
Chairman Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority and others also addressed the occasion.