GUJRAT: Work on the rehabilitation and widening of historical Defence Road connecting garrison cities of Kharian and Jalalpur Jattan initiated on Monday. The project will cost at least Rs610 million.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Liaquat Ali Chattha along with PML-N MNA Nawabzada Mazhar Ali Khan, MPAs Moin Nawaz Warraich and Nawabzada Haider Mehdi launched the construction work at a ceremony held in Jalalpur Jattan.

The 37.44km long road has always been strategically important, but was in a dilapidated condition for long and successive governments in Punjab had announced its rehabilitation. But the project was facing an inordinate delay for 15 years.

The incumbent PML-N government had announced rehabilitation of the road around two years ago. Funds were allocated in the 2014-15 fiscal year and finally the project started.

DCO Chattha informed participants of the ceremony the project would be completed in 12 months in two phases and contracts of both had already been awarded. He said it would be a carpeted 20ft wide road besides 4ft shoulders made with Triple Surface Treatment. Earlier, width of the metal road was not more than 10ft; it was now being widened keeping in view future requirements.

The PML-N lawmakers while speaking at the occasion said the project would bring a silent revolution in the lives of people residing mostly in rural areas where this road was passing through.

A government official told Dawn Defence Road might get connected with the Sialkot-Lahore motorway following construction of the already approved Shahbazpur bridge over Chenab river near Jalalpur Jattan city. It would connect Gujrat district with Sialkot airport.

He further said this road had been a centuries-old route for connecting this region to Jammu in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), and construction of the bridge over Chenab and rehabilitation of Defence Road would bring economic uplift for residents of this area. He said the case of granting tehsil status to Jalalpur Jattan was also pending with the provincial government. Such infrastructure projects could further strengthen the district administration’s move to get tehsil status for Jalalpur Jattan.

Workshop: The University of Gujrat (UoG) organised a workshop for young and aspiring entrepreneurs providing them an opportunity to take a sneak peek into the forthcoming Business Incubation Centre (BIC) at the university.

Haider Mairaj, a BIC consultant, spoke to a large gathering of art students as part of the centre’s bid to help them discover new horizons of success in practical life.

“It is a business support process that accelerates the development of start-up companies. The new entrepreneurs will also be provided with targeted resources and services,” Mairaj said and added the programme would help fresh graduates become job providers instead of being job seekers, commercialising new technologies and strengthening communities and economies.

Fresh graduates or students from a graduating batch could form their teams comprising two to four members and work in tandem. Their ideas would be evaluated by an initial assessment panel. Top 32 teams would be selected and inducted to the Accelerator Camp.

Under Entrepreneurial Development Training, mentors and experts provided by the varsity would train the selected teams in “idea validation, marketing, business modelling, financial mapping, market research and networking”.

The orientation session was aimed at introducing new business concepts and developments to students and other participants. The BIC programme would train aspirants on how to start their business and become a successful entrepreneur.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2016