She said, “WASA, MCL, and other bodies concerned should work in close coordination"       Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is addressing an event related to International Women's Day in Lahore on March 8, 2024, in this still taken from a video. — YouTube/Geo News

LAHORE: Reacting to the Lahore High Court’s ruling barring the Punjab government from distributing bikes among students, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday requested the court not to interfere in the executive’s affairs.

Addressing a ceremony at the Government Polytechnic College for Girls, the chief executive said: “People are watching if you interfere in the executive’s affairs.” Her remarks came after the LHC last week barred the provincial government from distributing electric and petrol-run motorcycles among students and suggested that electric buses should be promoted instead.

The provincial government, by flouting the LHC’s ruling, held e-balloting to give bikes to the students in interest-free and soft instalments under the Chief Minister’s Youth Initiative programme at the CM’s office on Saturday. Expressing her displeasure over the judgment, the CM said: “We introduced the bike scheme for students. LHC judge stopped it.”

Referring to the honourable judge’s remarks on the proceedings, the chief minister said that she could not stop laughing when she heard the verdict. “It was said that if bikes were distributed among the children [students], they would flock round the girls’ schools.”

Reacting to the judge’s remarks, CM Maryam said that those who have to go around girls’ schools, have their own motorbikes. It was also said in the verdict that wheelie would be done on e-bikes.

Taunting the judge, the province’s chief executive said: “There should be a little knowledge, one-wheeling cannot be done on e-bikes.” CM Maryam pleaded with the court to review its verdict regarding the e-bikes.

Firing a fresh salvo at the PTI in the backdrop of May 9 mahyum, the chief minister said that PML-N never gave batons and petrol bombs in the hands of children. Riots broke out in many parts of the country, especially in Rawalpindi, with charged mobs vandalising private and public properties including military installations following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest last year.

It is pertinent to mention here that LHC Judge Justice Shahid Karim, last week, rejected the government’s policy presented in the court with regard to e-bikes. The court had observed that no bikes should be distributed before the formation of a new policy. The court had also asked the government to explain where and how many bikes were being given.

Justice Karim had observed that giving students e-bikes might lead to reckless behaviour like one-wheeling. He had said boys might gather around girls’ colleges if they had e-bikes. Instead, he suggested providing colleges with electronic buses, observing that this would promote safer and more eco-friendly travel for students.

Meanwhile, Complete the construction of SL-3 as soon as possible to ensure public convenience, said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif while chairing a special meeting of the Communication and Works Department, led by its Minister Soheb Ahmed Malik.

The authorities concerned gave a detailed briefing on the maintenance and construction of roads across Punjab. The chief minister was briefed that the work on the repair and rehabilitation of 590 roads covering a distance of 11,500 kilometres across Punjab has been started and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. She was also briefed on the progress on the construction of five motorway roads in the province.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid and C&W Secretary Sohail Ashraf also attended the meeting. Lahore should be developed Indiscriminately: “No street in Lahore should remain unpaved,” said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif while chairing a high-level meeting on local government to discuss drainage and sewerage systems, street repair, and rehabilitation. She said, “A sustainable water drainage system should be devised.”

She said, “WASA, MCL, and other bodies concerned should work in close coordination.”

She added, “People cannot bear the inconvenience caused by standing water in a street. It is painful to see dirty water and boiling sewers standing on broken streets and roads.” The chief minister said, “All institutions should not neglect to solve the problems of the people.” She also reviewed progress on street lights, parks, and horticulture in suburban communities.

Garment City:

“All facilities will be available in the first plug-and-play Garment City,” said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif while chairing a special meeting to decide on the establishment of Punjab’s first plug-and-play garment city.

She said, “Organise technical training for workers in the garment industry.” The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to solicit expressions of interest from major apparel industries for garment city and formed a high-level committee led by Minister for Industries Chaudhry Shafey Hussain for the purpose.

Earlier, the chief minister was briefed that sheds and other facilities like weaving, dyeing, and other related units will be established in the garment city. It was also briefed that the proposed garment city will be energised with green and solar energy systems. Moreover, garment cities will be established in other areas gradually, after the success of the first garment city pilot project.

IT Courses:

“We are going to train youth in the latest demand-driven IT courses in fields like cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, graphic designing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and game development to multiply their employability,” said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in her address at Government Technology College for Women, where she reached to formally launch the First Chief Minister Skills Development Programme in Punjab.

She inaugurated the project digitally along with the students. The chief minister said, “Under the project, 4,000 youth will be trained in 35 TEVTA institutes in different cities.”

She added, “The Punjab government will provide training in international standard advanced IT courses to 4,000 students every year. God willing, the number will be raised from 4000 to 40,000 gradually.”

Addressing the ceremony, Maryam Nawaz said, “We are starting the country’s first IT city in Lahore, which will be launched within a year.” She added, “The tech giants of the world are ready to join the IT City project.”