MUZAFFARGARH, Oct 23: PPP MPA Irshad Ahmad Sial and PML-N senior leader Zulfiqar Khosa exchanged harsh words when the latter did not allow the former to address the launching ceremony of the Green Tractor Scheme here on Thursday.

Dawn learnt that Mr Sial wanted to address the ceremony arranged by the district government, but he boycotted the meeting after it became a PML-N party affair.

PML-N Secretary-General Malik Mustafa Khar Junior was the stage secretary while PML-N leaders and an MPA of the PML-Q (forward bloc) were also present on the stage. In the audience were government officials and some farmers who were chanting slogans in favour of PML-N leaders.

When Irshad Sial expressed his desire to address the audience, Mr Khosa opposed it on the plea that the function was organised by the PML-N. Mr Sial told Mr Khosa that he was an MPA of that constituency and was invited by the DCO. But it was not enough to convince Mr Khosa and the PPP MPA had to leave the place after a squabble.

Addressing a press conference later, Mr Sial and DBA President Shirwani condemned the behaviour of Zulfikar Khosa, saying some PML-N leaders did not want coalition working in Punjab.

Mr Shirwani alleged that the green tractor scheme was merely a fraud and the chief minister wanted to oblige only PML-N workers.

DCO Tariq Javed Malik said the green tractor scheme ceremony was held before mediapersons, MPAs and officials. He said 7,100 applications were received from farmers, and after a scrutiny 5,400 were fed in the software to provide new tractors to 358 lucky farmers.

He said farmers would pay the price of a tractor Rs200,000 less than the actual rate.

faisalabad: Punjab Local Government Minister Dost Mohammad Khosa says the LG system introduced by former president Pervez Musharraf has failed to serve the masses and added to their woes. However, the Punjab government is taking measures to improve it according to wishes of the people.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of green tractors distribution scheme here on Thursday, he said the Punjab government had devised a strategy for the benefit of farmers and tractor scheme was a part of that programme.

The provincial government would introduce more steps for farmers.

He said tractors were being provided to farmers at economical rate through a computerised process and because of its fairness no body could raise objections over the mechanism devised by the government.

Spelling out details of the scheme, executive district officer (agriculture) Rao Farman Ali said of 5,944 applicants 415 growers were given tractors at discounted rates.

He said the City District Government Faisalabad (CDG-F) had received 7,097 applications for the tractor scheme which were scrutinised through tehsil committees and 1,153 cases rejected.