MULTAN: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar presided over a meeting on Wednesday to review the development projects of Dera Ghazi Khan Division at Circuit House.

He said the provincial government was spending Rs61.88 billion on various development projects of the division.

“The under construction bridge on the Indus River between Layyah and Taunsa Sharif will be linked with Shorkot Motorway Exchange through highway while approval for the establishment of DG Khan Development Authority has been granted and the notification of the Fort Munro Development Authority will be issued soon,” he said.

He said that directions had been issued for the capacity building of Border Military Police (BMP) and promotion of police employees and filling the 533 vacancies of the BMP.

“It is unjustified that promotions have not been made in the BMP for the last 27 years while many of the employees have retired without promotion; a recruitment committee should be constituted for recruitment in the BMP to further improve the law and order situation in tribal area,” he said.

He directed the authorities to accelerate the pace of work on development projects.

Giving deadline of March 31 to complete Muzaffargarh-Dera Ghazi Khan highway, the CM warned that delay would not be tolerated. “Road from Sakhi Sarwar to Ronghin should be completed within six months,” he said.

He approved the construction of roads from Head No22 of Taunsa Barrage to Taunsa Sharif via Hero and Wasti Makwal Klan. He also directed officials to complete the work on Fort Munro Steel Bridge by March 31 besides starting civil work on DG Khan northern bypass.

He said work on safe city projects of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan should be accelerated. He said that a community center in DG Khan officers’ club would be established while 75 water supply schemes would be handed over to the public health department after making them functional.

Trauma centres: A meeting presided over by Mr Buzdar on Wednesday decided that trauma centres will be established in all the teaching hospitals in the province, besides reviewing the plan to launch an air-ambulance service.

Addressing the meeting in Lahore, the chief minister said trauma centers would be established in the teaching hospitals in the first phase and their number would be increased later. He directed that all trauma centres already set up in the province should be made functional, a handout said.

Mr Buzdar said a report should be submitted about setting up trauma centres on M1 and M2 motorways. Similarly, establishment of trauma centres near the GT Road and other important road networks should be reviewed, he added.

An awareness programme should also be launched about observing traffic rules along with treatment facilities provided in trauma centres, he added.

The meeting also deliberated upon a proposal to set up smart hospitals which would be interconnected through information technology. The air-ambulance service would not only be helpful in accidents but during emergency situations as well and the support of philanthropists would be welcomed, he said.

A 13-member committee was constituted under the chair of Dr Tahir Ali Javed for setting up modern trauma centres and launching air-ambulance service.

Provincial ministers Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Samiullah Chaudhry, assembly members, chief secretary and others attended the meeting. Presiding over another meeting the chief minister reviewed the performance of Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency, as well as progress on Naya Pakistan Housing Programme.

The CM was briefed that process for identification of new sites for building low-cost houses in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Bhakkar and Lahore was going on.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2019