Faisalabad will emerge as one of the most important industrial and business centre of central Punjab and hence, all necessary facilities should be provided in it to cater to the future needs of this vibrant city. Addressing the business community in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) here today, Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani said that Faisalabad is predominantly a textile hub of the country. It is contributing 55% towards total national textile exports. Hence, its iconic identification is textile and Textile Museum should be established in it to preserve its steady growth of textile starting from hand looms to power looms and then to the modern shuttle less and air jet looms etc.
He said that chamber should take the ownership of this project by projecting various phases of the growth of textile sector in this city. He assured that administration will also extend full support and help for the establishment of this museum. He also underlined the basic and fundamental necessities for a growing urban centre like Faisalabad and told that Asia's biggest children hospital is being constructed in this city. The 50 bed emergency of this hospital have been enhanced to 250 beds while facilities of CT scan with the estimated cost of Rs 400 million will be provided during next 10 to 12 days. He said that Allied Hospital was overloaded as the entire burden of this region was on it. He said that he established hospitals in various parts of the city to offload the Allied Hospital and in this connection Ghulam Muhammad Abad hospital is now fully functional. Orthopedic Ward in District Head Quarters Hospital (DHQ) had also been completed. Similarly, Haseeb Shahid Hospital in eastern part of the city is also under construction and hopefully its outdoor, emergency and diagnostic department will become functional in February. He said that remaining work will take yet another one and half year to complete it. He told that 350 acres of land has been allocated for the PINUM cancer hospital in Chak Jhumra. Regarding Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, he said that it is the only cardiology hospitals in this region. Its emergency ward of 18 beds has been increased to 60 beds. He said that cardiac surgery of children will be shifted to the children hospital to facilitate the cardiac children. Similarly, 8-8 bedded cardiac units have also been established in Samundri and Jaranwala. About Dialysis Facilities, he told that total 20-30 dialyses machines were working in the Allied and DHQ hospitals while now 4 dialysis machines each have been provided in Tehsil Head Quarter hospitals to provide this facility at the door step of the kidney patients.
Regarding roads network, he said that canal road expressway will serve as the main road artery of the divisional headquarters which will be linked with M3 and Lahore Karachi Motorway with latest and State of the Art road network. He told that 320 million has been allocated for the shifting of services from a portion of 3 kilometer of road linking Narwala road bypass with the motorway (M4). It will give easy access to the motorway in addition to lessen the burden on the Sargodha Road. Salman Ghani told that 100 Kilometer portion of Lahore-Karachi Motorway is passing through 3 tehsils of Faisalabad including Jaranwala, Samundri and Tandliawala. In order to link Faisalabad with this inter provincial motorway, we have to widen and reconstruct the Sityana Road. He told that the first section of Lahore Karachi Motorway will trim the traveling time to only 45 minutes from Jaranwala to Lahore and one hour from Sityana to Lahore. Continuing Deputy Commissioner said that Canal Road Expressway will have the new business centers along this expressway. The expressway will have high-speed traffic while the service road will be used by the slow moving vehicles. He told that only 3 bridges on it will be functional including FCCI Bridge while remaining will be closed to discourage the possibilities of rampant accidents. He told that this expressway will also be expanded up to Sanghla hill.
Regarding beautification of Faisalabad, he said that Parks and Horticulture Authority will be facilitated to generate permanent sources of income for its smooth and sustained activities. He requested FCCI to develop Airport crossing on Jhang Road with proper design and landscape. He also assured to rename the Canal road expressway as Aiwan-e-Sanat-o-Tijarat road. Earlier in his address of welcome Shabbir Hussain Chawla President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) said that business community will provide full support for the uplift and development of this city.
Appreciating Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani for making strenuous efforts to put Faisalabad on road to progress and prosperity, he said that various mega projects have been launched to provide all and basic amenities of life including health, education, roads and potable water etc. Regarding plantation along canal road, he said that FCCI has constituted a special "Green Faisalabad' committee in which horticulturists along with industrialists are included. In this regard, he asked DC to advise PHA to contact FCCI so that work on beautification of Faisalabad could be initiated immediately. He demanded that Canal expressway should be named as FCCI road. He also reiterated his previous demands of the construction of Civilian Airport and Expo Centre.
During question answer session, Chaudhry Muhammad Boota, Rana Sikandar Azam, Sanaullah Khan Niazi, Mumtaz Bajwa, Haleem Akhter, Engineer Raheel Ahmed, Major Shah Nawaz and Muhammad Ismail Soharwardi took part while Vice President Usman Rauf offered vote of thanks. Later FCCI Senior Member Amjad Saeed presented FCCI shield to Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani.