GUJRAT: The construction of the first-ever diagnostic laboratory as a public-private partnership project has been launched at 30-marla land in the city.

Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk was the chief guest at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the project initiated by the Rasheeda Shafi Foundation (RSF).

The land worth Rs45m located along Mehmda Road has been donated by Ghulam Mohiuddin who also announced the additional funding of Rs5m for the construction of the building.

Foundation president Imtiaz Kausar said the lab would be run as a non-profit to provide better diagnostic facilities to the area.

The DC said the district had set an example of successfully launching and running the public-private partnership projects.

The philanthropists announced the funding of at least Rs180m in the ceremony.

POSTED: The district administration on Tuesday posted at least four new officials at the registration branches of three tehsils of the district.

These postings have been notified by Gujrat Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) ADCR Khizer Bhatti as a replacement of those officials who had earlier been removed from the registration branches on the complaints of corruption and bad behaviour with the litigants on Saturday last.

Though some 14 officials, including seven clerks and as many Naib Qasids (peons) had been transferred, so far the posting is made only on four seats.

According to a notification issued here, only two officials are posted against four seats of crucial clerical staff at Gujrat tehsil registration branch whereas in Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir tehsils branches, two officials of the respective assistant commissioner offices, have been posted on an additional charge basis.

Official sources said more postings could be made in the next few days after thorough verification of the previous record of the clerical staff.

They said in the fresh postings, it had been ensured that such officials could not be appointed in registration branches who had previously served there to reduce public complaints.

It is learnt that the entire staff of these branches have been changed following the complaints from the public whereas the senior officials of district administration have also been probing the involvement of transferred officials in tax evasion reports.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024