Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar presided over a high-level meeting at CM office here today. During the meeting proposals regarding performance of Housing & Urban Development Department as well as providing better and improved facilities to the citizens were being reviewed. Usman Buzdar while addressing the participants in the meeting said that Housing & Urban Development Department will be harmonized with modern requirements because the role of Housing & Urban Development Department is pivotal with regard to providing better facilities in the cities, he added. The department will have to focus on modern urban planning and development. WASA will be made an independent authority and will also be granted autonomy, he added. He also directed to put up final plan in this regard. After reviewing matters of commercialization in residential areas, concrete recommendations should be submitted, he directed. Committee has been constituted to review DC rates of property. The committee will submit its final recommendations within 15 days under the supervision of Provincial Finance Minister. Aab Pak Authority has been constituted in order to provide clean water to the people of Punjab, he added. A proposal was also being submitted during the meeting to transfer the assets and other related matters of Saaf Pani Company being established during previous tenure to Aab Pak Authority. Usman Buzdar said that clean water is the basic right of every citizen. PTI government will leave no stone unturned regarding ensuring provision of clean water to the citizens, he stressed. The water quality of water plants will be improved. We will have to move ahead by learning a lesson from past mistakes, he stated. By performing matters according to rules and regulations and in a transparent manner, provision of clean water is to be ensured to the citizens, he added. He said that a mega programme is going to be launched in order to improve sewerage system in Lahore. Programme for bringing improvement in sewerage system through Tunnel boring will cost Rs. 14 billion. He was also informed during the briefing that the office of Aab Pak Authority will not be set up in a rented building but in some official building. Secretary Housing & Urban Development gave a detailed briefing to the Chief Minister regarding performance of the department and providing better civic facilities to the citizens. Provincial Minister Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, Hashim Jawan Bakht, Advisor to CM Dr. Salman Shah, Chief Secretary, Member National Assembly Khuram Shehzad, Principal Secretary to CM, Head of Special Monitoring Unit, concerned secretaries and other high officials participated in the meeting.
