Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Thursday said that an early warning system should be made more effective, to deal with the threat of hill-torrents and other natural calamities.
He said this during his visit to the head office of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) where he inspected various sections of the control room. He announced that the scope of PDMA will be extended to district level in a phased manner and assured that required resources will be provided. He also watched the early warning system and the media watch room set up for keeping an eye on media reports.
Provincial Minister, Mian Khalid Mehmood and DG PDMA Raja Khurram Shahzad briefed the CM about the role played by the PDMA. The Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar also presided over a meeting in which setting up of district-level PDMA control rooms was decided. He assured that allowances and other resources will be provided to the PDMA staff. In the meeting, introduction of drain water harvesting technology was also reviewed for the drainage of rainwater and the proposal of implementing groundwater recharging system in urban areas was discussed as well.
The CM has directed the WASA officials to expedite the drainage of water and water disposal should be completed by utilizing all available resources. He has also directed the traffic police to ensure the uninterrupted flow of traffic.
Moreover, the CM in his message on 'Malala Day' said that celebration of this day at the global level is, in fact, a tribute to the efforts made for providing education to the Pakistani women. "Malala defeated fanaticism through education and proved that human beings can do anything with hard work and consistent efforts. Malala Yousafzai is an international pride of Pakistan who emerged as a symbol of bravery and commitment at an early age," he said, adding: "The Punjab government is following the policy of providing equal opportunities for education and development to all the womenfolk."