CM pays surprise visit to Orange Line Metro Train project
Shehbaz assures people that temporary inconvenience will soon turn into permanent relief.
DUNYA NEWS REPORT (HUMAIRA SAJID)
LAHORE - Chief Minister Punjab (CM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday paid a surprise visit to Orange Line Metro Train Project one window payment center at Engineering University without any protocol late at night and reviewed in detail the process of payment to the landowners of Orange Line Metro Train Project.
The Chief Minister enquired from the landowners present at the payment center about the process of payment of compensation and also addressed a meeting in this regard at the Civil Secretariat through video link. He said that the payments are being made to the landowners by meeting all demands of justice while the interests of everyone will be safeguarded, adding that due compensation will be paid to the owners of the land besides additional amounts are also to be given as compensation for the constructed building, loss to business and relocation of residence.
While appreciating his political and administrative team for continuing the process of payment of compensation to the landowners in spite of being the holiday of Solidarity Day i.e. of 5th February with Kashmiris, he said that it was a national service and a form of worship to work for brethren and sisters.
The chief minister was informed in a briefing that a sum of Rs 1 billion has been paid as compensation during one day and payment of more than Rs 2 billion has been made so far. Moreover, bank counters have also been set at the payment centers for facilitating landowners. The chief minister directed to further accelerate the process of payment and said that all landowners will be paid compensation within next few days and no landowner will remain deprived. He said that all demands of justice will be met in this regard.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the elements criticizing the biggest project of Pakistan are in fact enemies of the common man and the development of the country. “OMT project will prove to be a milestone in the provision of best travelling facilities to common man and the masses will avail respectable transport facilities of international standard through this project,” he added.
Opposition parties in Punjab on Wednesday jointly protested the construction of China-funded Orange Line Metro Train project holding placard and banner. While scores of protestors chanted slogans against the government and kept block the Mall Road for traffic the leader sof protest said: “The stubborn chief minister (Shehbaz Sharif) was bent upon misusing the funds and usurping the rights of the citizen by force.”
“This project is not for the people but only to provide additional income to the corrupt rulers and their cronies,” they added.
Those who addressed the protestors included Mian Aslam Iqbal, Shoaib Siddique, Waleed Iqbal and Dr Yasmin Rashid of PTI; Samina Khalid Ghurki and Barrister Amir Hassan of PPP; Dr Waseem Akhtar and Zikrullah Mujahid of JI; Mian Muneer of PML-Q; and Noorullah Siddiqui, Sajid Bhatti, and Arif Chaudhary of PAT.
Addressing the protest rally PML-Q Punjab General Secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan said that the rulers in Punjab should pay attention to education and health of the people instead of dollars making projects. He said medical facilities and medicines are not available to the patients in government hospitals, funds of education are being spent on show off projects, thousands of government schools have been closed and children of the poor deprived of educational facilities.
According to sources, the OMT project will cost $1.6 billion and will be completed within 27 months. The train route will be 27.1 kilometer long, spread from Ali Town to Dera Gojran. The present government has signed a project with Chairman of the Chinese National Development Reforms Commission regarding construction of the Orange Line Train in Lahore.
The OMT project has remained under constant criticism and different political parties have expressed their disapproval of the project. The former CM Punjab, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi termed Orange Metro Line Project bigger than Nandipur Power Project for making dollars and labeled it as an anti-employment and anti-environment project.
