Tag: Punjab

  • Punjab govt ‘temporarily’ shuts down free WiFi service

    Punjab govt ‘temporarily’ shuts down free WiFi service

    In a bid to save money, the Punjab government has decided to shut down the free WiFi service in public spaces for an indefinite period.

    The decision was taken by the provincial government led by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to save Rs190 million that the project was costing.

    The WiFi service launched by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2017 was available in several cities of Punjab, such as Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan. The government had created at last 200 hotspots to provide free internet to the residents. It was also available at airports, railway stations, metro stations, colleges, and universities.

    Chief Minister’s aide Firdous Ashiq Awan was reported as saying that the service has been shut down temporarily and it will be resumed soon. However, she didn’t give any specific date.

    In 2019, the government had halted the free internet service due to a lack of funds. According to a report in Dawn, the service was stopped after the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) failed to pay Rs150m to the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).

  • Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh removed

    Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh removed

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has removed Lahore police chief Umar Sheikh from his post.

    Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, who was serving as DIG, Technical Procurement, CPO, Punjab, will be the new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO).

    Whereas, the notification issued by the government said that Umar Sheikh will be “posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police/Deputy Commandant of Punjab Constabulary, Farooqabad, against a vacant post”.

    Sheikh was posted as the Lahore police chief in September. Since then he has been involved in a number of controversies.

    Soon after his posting, he allegedly told his subordinates that on any sensitive issue, the Lahore police must seek his permission even if they receive directions from the Central Police Office (CPO).

    This had irked IGP Shoaib Dastgir, who refused to work as the IG till the removal of Sheikh. However, the government removed the IG following a standoff between the two.

    Sheikh had also blamed the rape survivor in the motorway rape case. The CCPO had said rape survivor should have been more careful and taken a safer route to avoid the rapists.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he had said while speaking to Dunya News.

    Sheikh went had further said that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    Recently, CCPO Sheikh was in the crosshairs of the Lahore High Court that had sought record of the CCPO’s interviews after he criticised the courts for freeing criminals.

    Reacting to the statement of the CCPO Shaikh in which he said the criminals detained by the police were given bail by the courts, the chief justice had said the suspects are granted bail in line with the constitution.

    He had said such statements by CCPO Shaikh were akin to committing contempt of court and asked the Punjab advocate general to give details of his interviews in 15 days.

  • Gippy Grewal calls out Bollywood for ignoring farmers’ plight

    Gippy Grewal calls out Bollywood for ignoring farmers’ plight

    Punjab star Gippy Grewal has lashed out at Bollywood for not standing up for Punjab at a time when the state needs their support for the ongoing farmers’ protest.

    Read more – Ahmed Ali Butt to share the screen with Gippi Grewal in upcoming Punjabi film

    Rupinder Singh Grewal, popular by his stage name Gippy Grewal, took to Twitter and wrote that for years Punjab had welcomed Bollywood with open arms but its silence over the issue was painful.

    “Dear Bollywood, Every now and then your movies have been shot in Punjab and every time you have been welcomed with open heart. But today when Punjab needs you the most, you didn’t show up and speak a word. Disappointed,” the 37-year-old singer tweeted.

    In response to Gippy’s tweet, Taapsee Pannu said that there are artistes in Bollywood who have always been vocal about contentious issues, including the farmers’ protests, and she found his generalised comment “demotivating”.

    Replying to the actor, Grewal said his tweet wasn’t for Pannu and others who are supporting the farmers, but for those who call themselves Punjabi.

    “My tweet was for them who call themselves from Punjab and not utter even a single word. They all vanish,” the singer added.

    Earlier, Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh were involved in a Twitter feud over the ongoing farmer’s protests in India in which Diljit gave Kangana a piece of his mind and called her out for propagating hate.

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

    The government has been in talks with farmer leaders to resolve the issue.

  • Chaudhry Sarwar inaugurates café for public at Governor House

    Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has inaugurated the ‘Governor House Café’ that is set up in a double-decker bus inside the Governor House in Lahore.

    The restaurant, which will be open for the public, has been established in a double-decker bus. While the lower portion of the bus houses the kitchen, the upper section has the sitting area. According to details, the governor and his wife had lunch with the kids under the care of Sarwar Foundation at the inauguration.

    Aas per reports, the café will remain open for the public and families from 11 am to 6 pm.

    Chaudhry Sarwar’s wife Perveen, while talking to the media, said that only a few children were invited for the opening ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    She added: “We have received a lot of donations and we will use them for their (children) benefit only”.

    In addition to the café, Sarwar also inaugurated Quran Garden, Corona Heroes Wall and Souvenir Shop at the Governor House as well.

  • Lahoris, find out if your area is under smart lockdown

    Following a sharp increase in cases of coronavirus, the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has enforced a smart lockdown in six cities in the province including Lahore to control the spread of the disease.

    According to a notification issued by the department, hotspot areas of district Lahore included Block F1, Valencia Town, Nishtar Town; Blocks E1, E2, F1, F2, G2, G4, G5 Johar Town; Boys’ Hostel No. 11, Superintendent House, PU, Allama lqbal Town; Sector AA, Sector BB, Sector CC, Sector FF, Phase 4, DHA; Sector XX, Phase 3, DHA; Sector N, DHA Phase 1; Paragon City, Lahore Cantt; and Block A, Block B, FCC, Gulberg-4, Gulberg Town. Other areas of Lahore shall remain open.

    In the closed areas, the following shall be exempted from this order: grocery stores, general/karyana stores, atta chakkis, fruit & vegetable shops, tondoors & petrol pumps shall be open from 9am to 7 pm for seven days a week; all medical services and pharmacies/medical stores, laboratories and collection points, hospitals and clinics for 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and milk shops, chicken & meat/fish shops, and bakeries shall remain open from 7am to 7pm seven days a week. Large departmental stores will only keep their grocery/pharmacy sections open while all others sections will remain closed.  

  • Punjab Govt to give Rs 2,000 per month to citizens above 65

    Punjab Govt to give Rs 2,000 per month to citizens above 65

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar took Twitter to announce the inauguration of the Bahimat Buzurg program, under which deserving citizens above 65 years of age will get Rs 2,000 per month.

    CM Buzdar also said that the program would lead to the economic rehabilitation of deserving citizens of the society. He further added that we are moving towards the realization of the Prime Ministers’ dream of Rayaste Madina.

    According to the website of Punjab Social Protection Authority, the welfare program will benefit 125,000 people who are not in receipt of other social assistance programs. Rs. 2,000 per month will be given to the beneficiaries having a poverty score below 20.

    CM Punjab said that the program would lead to the economic rehabilitation of deserving senior citizens. In the initial run, Rs 2 billion has been allocated for the program.

  • Control room established in Lahore to monitor smog

    Control room established in Lahore to monitor smog

    The Ministry of Climate Change has set up a smog control room in Lahore to regularly monitor smog that causes health problems to people in different areas of the province during the winters.

    The other objective of the Control Room was to have a constant check on smog Air Quality Index (AQI) in the province during coming days.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the process to fight smog has begun.

    He said there would be a regular check on crop burning, transport and industrial emissions, brick kilns and cross-border emissions which are the main sources of smog production.

    Malik Amin said that farmers have been provided with much-needed technology to help them avoid burning of crop residue and instead convert the residue into organic fertilizer to enhance the fertility of their farmlands.

    He said technology is also being introduced across the country under the government’s project for Mechanized Management of Rice Crop Residue for which thirty billion rupees are being spent for payment of 50,000 units of rice straw shredder.

  • Punjab reports surge in COVID-19 with 340 new cases in a day

    Punjab reports surge in COVID-19 with 340 new cases in a day

    Punjab on Tuesday reported as many as 340 new cases of the coronavirus, which is the highest single-day surge since July 21.

    As per reports, the number of confirmed cases reported across the province has risen to 104,894 so far.

    According to the Primary and Secondary Health Department, seven more people died due to the coronavirus, lifting the death toll from the disease in the province to 2,372.

    On November 2, provincial authorities had sealed numerous places to curb the virus spread under the micro-smart lockdown. The Punjab government has sealed 830 places across the province after spiking in COVID-19 cases. In these areas, 1416 cases of novel coronavirus were reported. The micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in 435 spots in Lahore, which is the maximum number of areas sealed in the province

  • 830 COVID-19 hot-spots sealed in Punjab

    830 COVID-19 hot-spots sealed in Punjab

    Provincial authorities have sealed numerous areas in Lahore under the micro-smart lockdown strategy. 

    As per reports, the Punjab government has sealed 830 areas across the province after a rise in COVID-19 cases. A total of 1416 coronavirus cases were reported in these areas.

    The micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in 435 spots in Lahore, 37 hot-spots in Bahawalpur, 35 places in Bhakkar, 17 areas in Dera Ghazi Khan, 34 places in Faisalabad and 14 in Gujranwala district.

    Moreover, 44 places in Multan, 29 in Gujrat and many areas in Sahiwal, Sargodha, Shekhupura, Sialkot and other districts of Punjab have been sealed under the micro-smart lockdown.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development and NCOC Chairman Asad Umar has stressed for strict implementation of SOPs to control the COVID-19 spread in the country.

    Read more – COVID-19: Pakistan’s positivity rate exceeds 3% after 70 days 

    NCOC has also recently launched a helpline to report COVID-19 related violations by the public.

     People can report the violation of COVID-19 SOPs like non-wearing of the mask, non-adherence to Social distancing, over-crowding at public places, etc, at 03353336262 (0335333NCOC) along with a picture and the following details:

    Location Name:

    Tehsil/district/city:

    Date and Time:

    Event:

    Coronavirus seems to be gradually spreading again across the country as 1,078 new cases have reported over the past 24 hours. According to the NCOC, the total number of confirmed patients of coronavirus has risen to 332,186. 20 people succumbed to the infection during the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 6,795.

  • Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    The Punjab Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department in Lahore has registered the most expensive luxury car in its history, The Express Tribune reported.

    As per the details, the car, a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder worth a whopping Rs115 million (Rs11 crores and 50 lacs), was registered for Rs4.5 million (Rs45 lacs).

    Initially, the provincial department had refused to register the luxury vehicle, saying that its system did not recognise car purchases of over Rs100 million (Rs10 crores).

    However, the department then upgraded its system and amended relevant laws to be able to register the sports car.

    “Lamborghini Huracan Spyder comes with 5.2L engine, and it is famous for its unique exterior. The car has specially designed wings at the front so that it can reach its maximum speed easily. This is the reason this car has an aerodynamic smaller front and a bit wider back. Furthermore, it has parking sensors and air intake vents at the front,” according to the supercar’s review on PakWheels.com.

    Before Huracan Spyder, the most expensive car registered in Punjab was of Mercedes GT Series. The price of that car was nearly Rs100 million. The excise department charged Rs3.5million as a registration fee of that vehicle, according to media reports.

    In September 2018, an 18k gold foil Lamborghini Aventador S had arrived in Islamabad, which quickly became the talk of the town when the owner Kunwar Moeez Khan, a property tycoon, shared its photos on social media.