Category: Lahore

Lahore: Following diversion of River Swat in August last year, the construction work on all key sites of Mohmand Dam is progressing ahead at a good pace, while the project is expected to be completed in 2026-27.

Chairman WAPDA Engineer Lt Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani has visited Mohmand Dam Project and reviewed in detail the construction activities on Spillway, Upstream and Downstream Coffer Dams, Diversion Tunnels, Power House and Power Intake, according to WAPDA spokesman here Monday.

GM/PD along with the Consultants and the Contractors briefed the Chairman about the targets and the achievements on different work fronts of the Project. It was briefed that concreting on the Spillway is progressing ahead of schedule. Downstream Coffer Dam has reached the design height, while Upstream Coffer Dam will attain its maximum elevation of 414 meter above mean sea level in April this year. Excavation for construction of the Main Dam pit and side slopes stripping is also in progress. Excavation works for construction of the Power Tunnel, Penstocks and Manifold/Shaft Access Tunnels are also underway. Likewise, excavation for the Irrigation Tunnels and rock support works are also going on, while construction work on the left side Main Canal is also continuing.

Later, the Chairman also presided over a progress review meeting at the Project Office. Detailed deliberations were made during the meeting on various issues including quarry development, large scale triaxial machine testing, electrical and mechanical (E and M) design and manufacturing etc. Addressing the meeting, the Chairman underlined the significance of quarry development for construction of the Main Dam. He urged upon the Contractors to review the plan and deploy additional resources for much needed quarry development. He also directed the Project Management, the Consultants and the Contractors to adhere to the timeline for completion of the Project without compromising on the quality standard of works.

It is important to note that WAPDA is constructing Mohmand Dam Project across River Swat in Mohmand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill dam in the world. With a gross water storage capacity of 1.29 MAF, Mohmand Dam will irrigate 18,233 acres of new land in Mohmand and Charsadda, besides supplementing irrigation supplies to 160,000 acres of existing land. Installed power capacity of the Project stands at 800 MW with annual energy generation of 2.86 billion units. The Project will also provide 300 million gallons water per day to Peshawar for drinking purpose.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.

Lahore: Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman formally inaugurated the construction of the approximately five kilometer-long Amir Road in Shad Bagh, Constituency PP-148, along the drainage channel, here Monday.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, he highlighted that this road had long been in a state of disrepair, causing significant inconvenience to local residents due to its heavy usage. For the past 15 years, no attention was given to its maintenance. However, under the special directive of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the reconstruction of this road has now commenced, along with the repair and rehabilitation of roads throughout the constituency.

He stated that under CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif's Lahore Development Package, extensive infrastructure projects are underway across the city, including the renovation of roads, improvement of the sewerage system, and execution of other essential development projects at the local level. The finance minister expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for allocating Rs 1.5 billion for PP-148 and Rs 3.5 billion for the MNAs' constituency, ensuring comprehensive development work.

A large number of local residents attended the inauguration and gave the finance minister a warm reception.

Addressing the gathering, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman assured the public that by next year, no road in the area will be in a deteriorated condition, and all reconstruction work will be completed. Additionally, he pledged that the sewerage system will be fully operational, and there will be no non-functional tube wells.

The finance minister reaffirmed that under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Punjab government aims to transform North Lahore into a model urban area within the next two years. Criticizing past administrations, he remarked that those who came to power through election rigging in 2018 ignored the constituency's problems. "We have a five-year mandate, but we will resolve all local issues within two years," he vowed.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.

Lahore: Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani on Monday said that best policies were being devised to ensure agricultural development and prosperity of farmers.

Presiding over a meeting of the Agriculture Commission here, he said that in line with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the transformation of the agricultural sector in the province was underway.

The minister said that one meeting of Agriculture Commission must be held on monthly basis. He also directed that different panels of chairs be appointed for the commission to prevent disruptions due to official engagements.

He directed the formation of task force committees under the Agriculture Commission for various crops.

Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani further directed the inclusion of the new Price Control Commodities Department in the commission so that their input could be considered regarding crop storage and price determination.

The private members of the commission were assigned the task of preparing actionable recommendations through a structured format so that these suggestions could be finalized in the upcoming budget for the next fiscal year. The Punjab Agriculture department had achieved the target of wheat cultivation on 16.25 million acres, ensuring food security in the province, he said and added that for the first time Punjab CM had introduced the "Grow More Wheat" package, which helped achieve the wheat cultivation target.

He further said that Punjab chief minister had personally assured farmers that wheat growers would not face any financial losses.

Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani also announced the establishment of the Punjab Seed Authority to ensure the provision of high-quality crop seeds to farmers.

He said, "For early cotton sowing, a target of 1 million acres has been set and farmers cultivating 5 acres or more will receive Rs 25,000 via the Chief Minister's Kisan Card." This pilot project was expected to help in the revival of cotton farming in the province.

Additionally, in consultation with agricultural experts, Agro-Ecological Zones were being established in Punjab, minister added.

He further said that priority-based initiatives were being taken under service providers for agricultural mechanization, adding that the first phase of the Green Tractor Scheme would be completed next month.

The Punjab government was also taking measures to enhance coordination between agricultural research institutes and universities, which would lead to improvements in agricultural research standards.

Additionally, in the interest of agriculture and farmers, a farmers' bank would be established on the direction of Punjab Chief Minister.

Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that the Agriculture Commission had been reactivated after 8 years, which would help address agricultural challenges.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.