LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday reviewed implementation of Saaf Pani programme and addressed the high-level meeting through video link from London, according to a press release issued here.
Addressing the meeting, he said that potable water was the basic right of every citizen and the Punjab government would uphold this right. He said that there was a need to implement the Saaf Pani programme speedily. He said it was intolerable that while elite had mineral water, the common man was deprived of clean water.
He said that this disparity would be removed through the Saaf Pani project. He said that the Punjab government would provide billions of rupees from its own resources for this project. He said that the Saaf Pani project was a splendid example of utilisation of national resources on the masses and he would personally monitor implementation of this project.
The chief minister said that supply of clean drinking water would be ensured to the people living in villages during the next two years under the Saaf Pani project. He said that clean drinking water was linked with the health of people and they could be protected from diseases through provision of potable water. He said that supply of the drinking water to the people was among priorities of the government and it had started this project with a cost of billions of rupees.
He said that the Saaf Pani project had been started from South Punjab and in the first phase it would be completed in those areas where there was a shortage of clean drinking water. He said that the project would be completed speedily and transparently in accordance with the policy of the Punjab government. He said that a mechanism had also been evolved for monitoring and third-party audit of the project.
The chief minister directed to constitute a core team for legal, technical and financial capacity-building of the Saaf Pani Company. He said that Punjab Saaf Pani Company chairman and local government secretary should play an active role for the implementation of this most important programme and give results. He directed that the best companies be selected transparently and in accordance with the rules and regulations for the implementation of this project.
Punjab Saaf Pani Company Chairman MPA Kashif Padiar, chief secretary, Planning & Development chairman, secretaries concerned and the Punjab Saaf Pani Company chief executive officer participated in the meeting from the Civil Secretariat while officials concerned attended the meeting through video link from the Chief Minister’s Office.
