Asim Tanveer
Multan:Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced that cancer treatment hospitals will be established in every division of Punjab and made functional within 12 months. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Multan Electrobus Service, she highlighted various development and public welfare initiatives across the province.
The chief minister said 160 electric buses would soon operate in Multan, equipped with air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, mobile charging facilities and CCTV monitoring. She announced that 1,100 additional electric buses were arriving, with services eventually extended to every district and tehsil. The provincial government aims to have 3,000 buses operational by year-end and ultimately reach 5,000.
Maryam Nawaz said the government had constructed, repaired or rehabilitated 50,000 roads and provided loans to 200,000 people under the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme. She said one million farmers had received Kisan Cards, while major allocations had been made for housing, sanitation, transport and hospitals.
She also highlighted healthcare initiatives, saying 100 million people had received free medical treatment during the previous year and medicines were being delivered to people’s homes. She said a second PET scan machine had been installed in Multan and cancer treatment facilities were being expanded.
The chief minister announced that 100,000 electric bikes would be provided to students and said 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence were being established across Punjab. She also said efforts to control smog had reduced air pollution.
Defending the use of an official aircraft, Maryam Nawaz said she had personally paid nearly Rs27.5 million for a previous trip, including fuel, parking and other expenses. She maintained that public funds were being used responsibly and said corruption was being addressed through arrests of officials accused of taking bribes.
