GUJRANWALA, Nov 4 The plan to construct a T-type flyover in the city, which was to be completed at a cost of Rs2.80 billion, has been dropped from the development package.

The Planning and Development Department, which has taken the decision with the consent of the Punjab government, informed the City District Government of Gujranwala and the provincial highway in this regard on Wednesday.

Former president Pervez Musharraf and former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi had announced the development package for the city and allocated Rs7 billion for this purpose.

The development package, including the construction of almost all city roads, the medical college and the T-type flyover, could not move beyond files.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had also announced the development package, including the construction of the flyover and the medical college, during his visit to the city in the beginning of the current year.

It is learnt that some advisers of the chief minister are of the view that since the traffic is still manageable on the GT Road the idea of the flyover should be dropped to save the much-needed amount of Rs2.80 billion.

GT ROAD Work on GT Road from Gujranwala to Lahore will be completed by December-end this year while the construction company concerned has held out an assurance to the National Assembly in this regard.

This was stated by State Minister for Communication Imtiaz Safdar Warraich while speaking at a briefing here on Wednesday after visiting the site.

He said the construction work was being completed swiftly and the contractor had been warned that stern action would be taken against him in case of any delay or use of substandard material.

TWO GET DEATH The Anti-Terrorism Court No 2 handed down death sentence on two counts and fined Rs600,000 to two accused in a kidnap-cum-murder case here on Wednesday.

They will have to undergo an additional six-month hard jail in case of default in the payment of fine.

According to the prosecution, convicts Tassaduq and Saleem had kidnapped minor boy, Umar Farooq, of Jinnah Road and demanded Rs5 million for his release.

They had received a Rs2.5 million ransom from heirs, but killed the boy instead of releasing him.

PMA The local chapter of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed concern at the registration of a case against Jinnah Hospital doctors after the death of a patient, and attack on doctors by heirs to the dead.

At a meeting here on Wednesday chaired by Dr Zahid Mehmood, PMA representatives called for withdrawal of the case against doctors and provision of security to them at their hospitals and clinics.

They said all hospitals and clinics would be closed if their demand was not met. They said patients' relatives were humiliating and harassing doctors over minor issues at hospitals and clinics. They said police should conduct inquiries before registering cases against doctors.

Dr Sajjad Mahmood Dhariwal, Dr Gulzar Ahmad, Dr Ibrar Kaleem, Dr Sharif Rathore, Dr Tehseen Mazhar Sheikh, Dr Nawaz Ghuman, Dr Aziz Tarar, Dr Zahid Jaffari, Dr Khalid Warraich, Dr Mushtaq Sabir and Dr Mubashar Rathore were also present.