Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that potable water is the basic right of every citizen and Punjab government will uphold this right. He said there is a need to implement Saaf Pani Programme speedily. He said it is intolerable that while elite have mineral water, the common man is deprived of clean water. This disparity will be removed through Saaf Pani Programme, he added. He said that Punjab government will provide billions of rupees from its own resources for this project. He said that Saaf Pani programme is a splendid example of utilization of national resources on the masses and he will personally monitor implementation of this programme.
He was addressing a high-level meeting through video link from London, today, which reviewed implementation of Saaf Pani Programme. The Chief Minister said that supply of clean drinking water will be ensured to crores of people living in villages during next two years under Saaf Pani project. He said that clean drinking water is linked with the health of people and they can be protected from diseases through provision of potable water. He said that supply drinking water to the people is among priorities of the government and it has started this project with a cost of billions of rupees. He said that Saaf Pani Project has been started from South Punjab and in the first phase it will be completed in those areas where there is a shortage of clean drinking water. He said that the project will be completed speedily and transparently in accordance with the policy of Punjab government. He said that a mechanism has also been evolved for monitoring and third-party audit of the project. The Chief Minister directed to constitute a core team for legal, technical and financial capacity-building of Saaf Pani Company. He said that Chairman Punjab Saaf Pani Company and Secretary Local government should play an active role for the implementation of this most important programme and give results. He directed that the best companies be selected transparently and in accordance with the rules and regulations for the implementation of this programme. Chairman Punjab Saaf Pani Company Kashif Padiar MPA, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning & Development, concerned secretaries and Chief Executive Officer Punjab Saaf Pani Company participated in the meeting from Civil Secretariat while concerned officials attended the meeting through video link from Chief Minister’s Office.