Punjab Govt Promises Transparency in Project Approvals, Senior Minister Speaks

Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab Senior Minister, emphasized the importance of transparency in governance during a recent speech at the Punjab Assembly. She stated that every project approved by the Punjab government undergoes thorough institutional and legal processes before being sanctioned for public welfare.

Under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), 437 schemes have been completed while over 340 projects are approved to be completed by June 30, according to Aurangzeb. Regarding Muharram arrangements, she stated that these should not be politicized as they were exemplary in Punjab during the holy month of Muharram-ul-Haram and Ashura.

Aurangzeb also highlighted the utilization of nearly 100% of the Environment department’s development budget. She praised Maryam Nawaz Sharif for introducing Punjab’s first comprehensive Smog Mitigation Plan and modernizing an environment department that previously lacked basic resources.

In Forestry and Wildlife, she stated that 11 modern environmental laboratories have been established. Criticizing the previous government’s Billion Tree Tsunami project as a “historic fraud,” Aurangzeb described the current monitoring of forests based on tree coverage, sustainability, lifespan, and geo-surveillance.

She further detailed the establishment of a Digital Forest System, German fire detection technology, AI drone surveillance, anti-theft systems, and a Special Forest Force comprising 600 personnel. Water filtration plants are being installed at a rate of 5,600 per annum while development work is underway in 2,000 villages, she added.

Aurangzeb also praised the law enforcement agencies conducting operations in Punjab’s riverine areas. She stated that Rs 58 billion worth of development programmes were ensuring the provision of basic facilities in these regions. So far, 500 electric buses have arrived in Punjab with 345 allocated to South Punjab, she concluded her speech by praising the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and reaffirming the government’s commitment to its agenda of development, transparency, environmental protection, public welfare, and economic stability.