Orange Line Metro Train To Soon On Track, PA Told

Parliamentary Secretary Transport Nawaz Chattha on Monday told the Punjab Assembly that Orange Line Metro Train would soon be rolled out in the Punjab capital

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2018 ) :Parliamentary Secretary Transport Nawaz Chattha on Monday told the Punjab Assembly that Orange Line Metro Train would soon be rolled out in the Punjab capital.

"Dollar 563,316,588 have been spent till May 01, 2017," he added. Answering queries by a lawmaker, Arif Abbassi, during Question-Hour, he said, dollar 1.626 billion funds as foreign loan had been earmarked for Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project besides, another Rs 32 billion were allocated for land purchase, utility shiftings and security of Chinese.

He said, the government was spending hefty amount on providing the most advanced transport facility to the people. To a question by the same questioner, he said, 68 buses were bought for metro bus Rawalpindi while the Punjab Mass Transit Authority made the payment to a Chinese company.

He replied to a question by MPA Muhammad Arshad Malik that Motor Vehicle Examiner Sahiwal district issued as many as 10,589 fitness certificates and route permits during 2015-16 and 11,920 during year 2016-17.

Replying to queries regarding her department, Provincial Minister for Environment Begum Zakia Shahnawaz said practical measures were taken to minimize pollution in rural and urban areas of the province.

She said, factories causing environmental pollution had been challaned with heavy fines. In response to a question by Nighat Sheikh, Zakia said, 63 factories falling in PP-144 of Lahore had been issued Environment Protection Order (EPO) while other 38 served notices for spreading air hazards.

She said, to control environmental pollution various projects were launched in Lahore, adding the Environment department had already bought Air Pointer at a cost of Rs 200 million, adding, it helped detect air pollution.

She said, the department was carrying out surveys of the mills and factories using tyres, powder instead of gas. She said, Environment department in collaboration with Transport department Punjab had kicked off "Awareness Campaign." Besides, she said, two workshops had been set up at Green Town Lahore and Kala Shah Kaku where vehicles omitting pollution or making noise were being examined properly.

Earlier, the sitting of the 34th session of the current assembly was started 3 hours and 51 minutes behind its schedule time with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair. The House left its legislative business unaddressed due to lack of quorum.

It did not take up the Punjab Hepatitis Ordinance 2017, the Punjab Tianjin University of Technology Lahore Ordinance 2017, the Punjab Charities Ordinance 2018, the Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Bahawalpur Bill 2018, the Bahawalpur Development Authority (Repeal) Bill 2018, the Code of Civil Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Limitation (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah responded to two calling attention notices moved by PTI and PPP lawmakers. A PTI lawmaker Riaz Fatyana pointed out the quorum that led to the ringing of bells for five minutes. However, the quorum was found incomplete after the bells and the Chair adjourned the sitting to meet again on Tuesday (tomorrow) at 10 am.