Pakistan: Lahore to be made free of encroachments — Mayor

Mayor of Lahore Metropolitan Corporation (LMC) Colonel (R) Mubashir Javaid Malik has said that work to make the city free of encroachments and a model of cleanliness is in progress.

“Restoring [the] beauty and grandeur of Lahore, improve education standards of schools, provide maximum sporting facilities to the youth, improve city traffic and promote discourse are priorities,” he said on Sunday.

To a query, Malik said encroachments had disfigured city’s historic look and added to the traffic hazards besides causing losses to the city’s revenue.

He also said there is little resistance from city’s residents in the drive against encroachments as they understand the importance of the initiative.

Regarding his powers as the Mayor, he said the city was his constituency and he had been coordinating with all authorities such as the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Punjab Health Authority, Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), Punjab Safe Cities Authority to achieve his goals

Malik said a “Clean Lahore” project had been launched to make the city waste-free and environmentally safe. “I, along with respective UC chairmen, visit two-three Union Councils (UCs) daily to ensure cleanliness”, he said, adding that the UCs would be re-visited after two months to assess whether cleanliness targets have been achieved and Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) have been implemented.

To another query, Malik said disease could be controlled through better cleanliness measures, adding that all UC Chairmen have been asked to work in their UCs to improve the supply of clean water and sanitation.

About funds to UC representatives, he said rules of business were being formulated and the UC representatives would be provided funds within few weeks, adding that five-seven departments out of 36 would be under the direct control of the Municipal Corporation.

Malik said a master plan had been prepared to provide Lahore with clean drinking water as polluted drinking water causes multiple diseases, adding that rusty water supply pipelines would be replaced with polythene pipes and water-supply connections would be directly connected to the household under the new project to ensure no seepage.

About filtration plants, he said, they provide temporary refuge from polluted water and the government is planning to install a water purification plant on the BRB [Bambawali-Ravi-Bedia canal] to ensure pure water supply to the people of the provincial capital.

He said roadside vendors might be registered with a number plate for a certain fee and allowed to operate inside communities without being static, adding that this would generate revenue for the MCL as well as provide livelihood to the affected vendors.

He added major initiatives would be introduced to improve the condition of dispensaries so that better health facilities could be provided to patients.

Malik, while responding to a query, said he was working with all authorities including Punjab Health Authority to provide the best health facilities, adding that a dearth of doctors at UC dispensaries would be addressed while ultrasound machines and small labs would be provided to the clinics.

About monitoring education, Malik said he had visited some schools to assess education standards while he had asked the director of elementary education to submit a report on the poor standing of Lahore in school results.

He said he was aware of the fact the youth needed more playgrounds and sports facilities, adding that parks under the MCL would be utilised for sports rather than other activities to provide healthy outlets to youth. He said he wished to build gymnasiums.

He said the government had eradicated the menace of terrorism through its strategy, adding the Safe City Project would help control terrorism and other crimes in the city.

He said the residents of Lahore must keep an eye on suspicious people and inform the police on the Emergency Numbers provided.

Malik thanked the party leadership for his nomination as the Lahore Lord Mayor, adding that local bodies were the best exponent of decentralisation of power

source : gulfnews