A low-cost and comfortable transport is a fundamental need of the people:Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

Lahore: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Saturday said that a low-cost and comfortable transport was a fundamental need of the poor people and for the first time in country’s history, the government was focusing to cope with this need.

During a briefing given to him on Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project, the Prime Minister said the low-cost and comfortable transport would not only save the money as well as the precious time of the students and job holders traveling to and from their schools and workplaces respectively.

The train would ply 27-kilometer track connecting Ali Town with Dera Gujran via Multan Road, Chauburji, Lake Road, GPO, Nicholson Road and Sultan Pura.

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Governor Punjab Rafiq Rajwana, Members of the National and Punjab assemblies and senior government officials also attended the briefing.

The Prime Minister said during last seven years, Lahore had turned out to be a changed city as, for the first time, the government was providing modern facilities to the public.

Dispelling the opposition’s criticism, the Prime Minister said besides transport, the government was also paying due attention on country’s education, health and agriculture sectors. “Intelligent students are being given scholarships and laptops. A package has been announced to compensate the losses meted out to rice growers. A farms-to-market roads project will also be executed to help the growers carry their produce to markets timely,” the Prime Minister added.

He said the development activities were going on across all province with a due focus on all sectors, adding that a ground breaking of power plant in Bhikki was held on Friday.

Nawaz Sharif said the government had saved Rs 110 billion from three development projects by accepting bid far below the PC-1 cost of the project. The saved amount would be spent on public welfare projects, he added.

The Prime Minister hoped that the Orange Line train project was expected to complete by end of 2017 or early 2018 as unlike the previous practices, the government was committed to execute the development projects timely and against minimum cost.

He said once completed, around 275,000 people would travel through this modern facility that would even better than the Metro train of New Delhi and Iran.

The Orange Line train would overcome its 27.5 kilometer track within 45 minutes against 2.5 hours consumed by the existing bogus public transport system even charging higher fares.

The Prime Minister was told that parking lots would be developed across the train route to help the people park their vehicles to board the train.

Nawaz Sharif said the government would also save public money from Orange Line project to be spent on other projects of public welfare. He said the multi billion rupee project of Metro Train was a mega public welfare project and thanked the Chief Minister Punjab and his team besides the parliamentarians for their efforts to take the project to the point of agreement signing.

He also thanked the Chinese President and Prime Minister for agreeing to grant concessional loan for the project with a seven-year grace period. He said through such transport projects, all parts of the Lahore city would interconnect just like those of London. He said Lahore’s transport sector was being developed on the lines of London where the facility was available round the clock and in every part of the metropolitan.

The Prime Minister wished such public welfare projects were executed in other provinces too particularly Peshawar, for where claims of a new Pakistan were made. He criticized the previous tradition of unnecessary delay in public projects, what he said, also impeded the process of national development besides wasting public money. “We will have to change this culture. We are striving to mend these practices,” he said.

The Prime Minister said as he assumed the prime ministerial office in 2013, the things had deteriorated comparing his previous stint; however the government was trying to put the things back on track despite obstacles. He said the government was also trying to reform the national institutions including the national flag carrier by improving its service quality as well as the financial position. He said the government would soon come up with good package for health sector for easy and affordable health treatment to the public.