LAHORE: Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday vowed to deal with those criticizing the province’s development.
Addressing the unveiling ceremony, the chief minister termed participating in the “Suthra Punjab” event an honour, adding that it was a matter of pride to wear the programme’s jacket. She paid tribute to those involved in the campaign, hailed them as heroes and lauded the continued success of the cleanliness programme in urban and rural areas of Punjab.
Chief Minister Maryam said that the government and administration worked as a team during the recent floods, terming the relief activities in the flood-affected areas as commendable. She said that the launch of the cleanliness campaign in cities and villages was exemplary.
The ‘Suthra Punjab’ programme, which involves a workforce of 150,000, includes 35,000 modern machines, each of which is named after its respective district. The chief minister said that within a year, a state-of-the-art fleet has been established in each district. He said that earlier there were no sanitation arrangements in Punjab, and the launch of this program has given people a sense of relief.
He also referred to the special sanitation drive launched during Eid-ul-Azha. According to him, modern machinery has been acquired for cleaning canals and drains, which will also help in reducing the risk of floods.
Commenting on the past administration, the Chief Minister criticized the previous government and said that the “Gogi Pinki era” had only wreaked havoc in Punjab. He said that the so-called agents of change had left behind only heaps of garbage.
He said that the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) had laid a comprehensive network of development projects across the country. According to him, serving the people was the hallmark of the party’s leadership. He added that access to education, health and transport facilities was the right of the people.
A merit-based scholarship program was also launched to help the youth in higher education. She said that as the Chief Minister of Punjab, it is her duty to speak for the province and its development.
Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif said that she wants to see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh as clean as Punjab is today. She also said that as a result of the government’s arrival, there has been a clear reduction in crime, with 25 districts of Punjab having zero crime rate.
She said that it is her responsibility to provide rights to the people of Punjab and expressed her desire to see similar development in other provinces as well.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister Maryam has unveiled a new sanitation fleet as part of the ongoing “Suthra Punjab” initiative, reiterating her commitment to a zero waste future across the province.
