Maryam orders LPG price regulation, transport fare review and sanitation improvements

Islamabad: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) to regulate liquefied petroleum gas prices across the province, while also seeking a report within 24 hours on transport fares per kilometre.

Chairing a meeting, the chief minister also instructed the relevant authorities to examine the possibility of introducing free transport in 17 districts where public transport services are not available.

The meeting reviewed the effect of international oil prices on transport fares, and officials presented a detailed report on the matter. Prices of 23 essential food items, including onions, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas and pulses, were also reviewed for all districts of Punjab.

Officials told the meeting that flour prices in Punjab were lower than those in Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. They also said pulses, fruits and vegetables were cheaper in Punjab and that adequate stocks of lentils and gram were available.

Maryam urged the public not to buy goods being sold above officially notified rates and ordered strict action against the hoarding of essential commodities.

Water safety, cleanliness and district monitoring

The chief minister directed assistant commissioners to carry out surveys of ponds and other water bodies in every area. She also instructed commissioners to submit daily reports, along with photographs, regarding these sites.

Orders were issued to ensure safety arrangements for ponds in every union council. Maryam said the existence of unsafe ponds would be treated as an administrative failure. She also expressed concern over deaths linked to open drainage systems.

During the meeting, she stressed attention to tree plantation, prevention of dog bites, zebra crossings, street lights, green belts and other key performance indicators.

She further ordered the revival of a graveyard cleanliness campaign under the Suthra Punjab programme. Expressing displeasure over sanitation conditions in Jhang, she directed that selected union councils be fully cleaned within 24 hours.

A detailed review was also conducted of beautification and upgradation schemes in districts across Punjab, including through photographic inspections. The chief minister ordered that all such projects be completed by June and stressed that their quality should be maintained afterward.

Projects in several cities, including Attock, Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad, came under review. Maryam appreciated the standard of work in Attock and also praised improvements around Faisalabad’s Clock Tower area, especially the removal of roadside drainage and electric wires.

The meeting also examined targets under the Suthra Punjab programme in detail. It was decided that artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems would be introduced, including digital mapping for real-time tracking of sanitation workers in every union council.

An AI-based complaint system titled Suthra Punjab Hero will also be launched, along with a pilot project for AI-based waste detection vehicles. The chief minister directed authorities to improve sanitation throughout the province and gave them a two-week deadline to improve cleanliness.

Separately, on World Health Day, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring the best possible healthcare and treatment facilities for people across Punjab.