Category: Lahore

Lahore: Recommendations for 39 deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) eligible for promotion to the rank of SP have been finalised.

Inspector General of Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar forwarded the promotion recommendations to the Punjab government for approval.

Punjab Police spokesperson provided further details, that after final approval from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the official notification for promotions will be issued.

Promotion Board meeting for the promotion of DSPs to SP was held on Friday at the Central Police Office under the chairmanship of IG Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar.

A total of 133 DSP cases were reviewed during the meeting. 39 DSPs who met the merit criteria and regulations were deemed eligible for promotion. Among the officers eligible for promotion to the rank of SP is DSP Traffic, Riaz Ahmed. IG Punjab said that the next Promotion Board meeting for promotions to the rank of SP in the Crime Control Department and other units will be held after Eid. Punjab Police spokesperson further shared that the list of successful candidates for promotion includes DSPs Shahid Rasheed, Sajid Mehmood, Yousuf Haroon, Fawad Ahmad, Muneer Badar, Shafqat Nadeem, Kashif Abdullah, Ramiz Ahmed, Raza Ullah, Ali Akhtar, Shahid Shafiq, Amir Mushtaq, Shahid Nazir, Jan Muhammad, Muhammad Khan, Irfan Ul Haq, Babar Mumtaz, Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Ul Hassan, Akhtar Ali, Atif Imran, Muhammad Saleem, Fayaz Ahmed, Jamshed Iqbal, Muhammad Tariq, Hassan Farooq, Nasrullah Khan, Khalid Saeed, Zafar Javed, Shahid Ikram, Asar Ali, Ghazi Muhammad Umar Farooq, Zulfiqar Ali, Mudassir Iqbal, Humayun Iftikhar, Moazz am Ali, Adil Rasheed, Saleem Ullah, and Riaz Ahmed.

Lahore: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif made surprise visits to various areas of Lahore to assess the pace and quality of ongoing development projects.

She reviewed the implementation of the mega project for Lahore's development and visited multiple zones under the historic Lahore Development Program.

During her inspection, the chief minister assessed the progress of ongoing projects and emphasised that development across all areas of Lahore should be uniform and of the highest quality, just like in the rest of Punjab.

Speaking to officials, she stated, "I want to establish a system that ensures such problems do not resurface and cause distress to the people. The Lahore Development Programme is designed to uplift the entire city, benefiting people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including the poor, middle class and wealthy. Years of public grievances will be addressed through this initiative."

As part of the project, Lahore has been divided into nine zones to ensure that no area, neighborhood, or settlement is left out of the development process, she added and said the project will be executed in two phases: in the first phase, development work will be carried out in six zones, while the remaining three zones will be covered in the second phase. The designated zones include Gulberg, Data Ganj Bakhsh, Samanabad, Shalamar, Ravi, Aziz Bhatti, Nishtar, Wagah, and Allama Iqbal.

During a briefing, the CM was informed that out of a total of 450 development schemes planned for the first phase of the Lahore Development Programme, 252 projects fall under WASA (Water and Sanitation Agency), while 198 are under the Municipal Corporation Lahore. Construction work has been assigned for 433 schemes, and work has already begun on 411 projects.

Under the programme, various infrastructure improvements are underway, including pavement of streets, roads and intersections, as well as the installation of drainage and sewerage systems. For the first time, large-diameter sewer lines are being laid across all zones using modern engineering techniques to prevent future sewage blockages and drainage issues.

All project contracts have been digitised and integrated into the system. The quality and speed of development work are being closely monitored, with real-time updates uploaded in the form of pictures and videos through the Inspector App.

Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also accompanied the CM during the visit.

Lahore: On the directives of DG Food Authority, food safety teams conducted a grand operation across Punjab to ensure safe and hygienic food during Ramazan.

A total of 3,330 food units were inspected, resulting in six cases being registered and one suspect arrested. Authorities sealed 15 Sehri and Iftar points, while 370 units were fined Rs. 5.389 million for violations.

During crackdown, 215 kg of counterfeit tea, 10,293 liters of substandard oil, 1,785 liters of adulterated milk and over 1,000 kg of Pakoras were confiscated and discarded. A counterfeit tea production unit in Nishtar was raided leading to arrest of its owner. Unit was involved in repackaging used tea leaves into fake branded packaging. Several renowned breakfast restaurants were also sealed due to poor hygiene standards.

Major violations included the absence of medical and training certificates for food handlers. Use of rotten vegetables and expired foul-smelling ingredients in Sehri preparations and unhygienic conditions such as fungus-infested freezers and contaminated water in processing areas.

DG Food Authority reaffirmed that there is zero tolerance for health hazards during Ramazan. Food safety teams are working round the clock to inspect Sehri and Iftar points, Ramazan Bazaars and street vendors. Ensuring safe and high-quality food for people of Punjab remains the top priority.

Lahore: The Punjab government has decided to outsource Rural Health Centers (RHCs) across the province to improve efficiency and service quality.

The decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday, which focused on comprehensive reforms in the health sector. Several key measures were approved to upgrade healthcare infrastructure, enhance medical facilities, and ensure access to quality treatment, especially in remote and underprivileged areas.

Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif reiterated her commitment to achieving significant improvements in Punjab's public hospitals. She expressed concern over the inadequate cleanliness in hospitals, describing it as "extremely regrettable and painful." The Chief Minister stressed the urgent need for advanced medical facilities in rural areas and assured that modern medical equipment is being gradually provided to hospitals across the province. She also highlighted that sustainable measures are underway to address the shortage of doctors and medical staff, aiming to bring Punjab's healthcare standards in line with international benchmarks.

Earlier, officials briefed the Chief Minister, revealing that 225 RHCs have been fully revamped and transformed into modern clinics with enhanced medical facilities. Out of 1,147 health centers, 766 have been renovated, while 396 have been handed over to the Health Department for improved management. After outsourcing, these clinics will operate 24/7 to better serve patients. It was also reported that young doctors managing these health centers have witnessed a threefold increase in patient numbers due to improved services.

The meeting also approved a plan to convert these health centers into primary referral centers, providing medical and diagnostic services on par with major hospitals. The upgraded facilities will include general surgery, gynecology, diagnostic tests, and other essential medical services. Additionally, the government plans to establish specialized units such as burn centers, cardiac units, and pediatric wards at the district level. A proposal to develop Medical Cities at the divisional level for specialized treatments is also under consideration, including a Mega Medical City along the Lahore Ring Road to provide state-of-the-art healthcare services.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered for immediate construction and expansion of access roads for Murree Samli General Hospital. She ordered that the OPD at Nawaz Sharif Institute of Sargodha be made operational by June and that Jinnah Hospital PIC-2 be functional by September 30. She also instructed that Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital be made fully operational within the stipulated timeframe. Furthermore, the Chief Minister emphasized expediting the completion of Board of Governors' nominations and other administrative processes for hospitals.

During the briefing, it was disclosed that under the Chief Minister's Special Initiative Transplant Program, five kidney transplants and one liver transplant have been successfully completed. Similarly, under the Chief Minister's Children's Heart Surgery Program, 6,900 patients have been registered, with 2,625 having received treatment. The Chief Minister's Dialysis Program has also benefited over 8,000 patients, with 7,630 new registrations. Additionally, 7.2 million patients have been served by mobile health clinics across Punjab under the Clinic on Wheels Initiative, and free medicines worth Rs. 6.7 billion have been distributed in OPDs across the province. Under the Maryam Nawaz Community Health Inspector Program, 12,671 applications have been received for inspectors who will conduct home surveys, collect disease data, and analyze health trends. The Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic Program has also received 2,230 applications for the Health Manager Portal.

The meeting concluded with a strong commitment to revolutionize Punjab's healthcare system, ensuring accessible and high-quality medical services for all citizens.

Lahore: Pakistan Sugar Mills Association Punjab Zone (PSMA) spokesman said here on Thursday that sugar prices have not increased due to exports.

He mentioned that some unfounded misconceptions have been raised in media by linking sugar price hikes with sugar exports without establishing factual factors. He explained that due to a conservative approach, sugar industry was not timely allowed export permission which caused serious liquidity issues for the industry. At the end of September 2024, industry had two years of surplus sugar production in pipeline (approximately 1.5 million metric tons valuing Rs. 250 billion) which was pledged with banks at nearly 25 per cent interest rate. Notwithstanding the fact that storage life of sugar is only two years, after that it becomes unfit for human consumption. It is an international practice that whenever local production of a food commodity becomes surplus, it is exported.

It was mutually agreed with the government since the time of first export permission that sugar prices will not exceed Rs. 140 ex-mill per kg during export period but due to huge surplus stocks, the ex-mill prices remained much below this benchmark continuously for many months. Almost 50 per cent of total available sugar was sold much below its cost of production causing massive losses to the industry. Continuous production of surplus sugar every year without its exports and domestic sale of sugar below its cost of production caused huge losses to the industry, he maintained.

Lahore: A ceremony was held at District Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh to pin badges to 107 head constables promoted to the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs).

The ceremony was attended by the families of the promoted ASIs, along with senior police officials, including DIG (Admin) Imran Kishwar and SP (Headquarters) Zunair Ahmad Cheema, who pinned the new ranks on the policemen.

A total of 107 head constables from various wings of Lahore Police were promoted to the rank of ASI. The departmental promotion committee, headed by CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana, had issued the promotion orders based on merit and seniority.

In a statement, CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana congratulated the promoted policemen and expressed his best wishes for their future. Promotions are done strictly on the basis of merit and seniority; he said and urged the newly promoted ASIs to perform duties with dedication and hard work, adding that timely promotions should further improve public service delivery at the grassroots.

In his address, DIG (Admin) Imran Kishwar stated that the promotion process was being expedited. He encouraged the ASIs to serve the people with renewed enthusiasm. Under the comprehensive promotion system, more officers and policemen would be promoted in the coming days; he said and advised the policemen to work harder and remain vigilant to tackle new challenges effectively.

Among the head constables promoted to the rank of an ASI were Ijaz Hussain, Muhammad Ashfaq, Shehzad Ali, Fazal Abbas, Mohsin Ali, Muhammad Akram, Amjad Ali, Muhammad Amin, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Wasim, Zulfiqar Ali, Muhammad Sajawal, Muhammad Awees, Shahbaz Ahmed, Muhammad Shoaib, Naseer Ali and others.