PUNJAB Chief Minister Dost Mohammad Khosa Saturday declared the CM Secretariat an IT University for Women.

The CM also pledged to auction bullet-proof cars, used by the former chief minister, except those entitled for the CM office and use the proceeds for public transport facilities. The newly elected chief minister made the announcement while talking to the media at the former CM Secretariat.

Khosa said in a country like Pakistan, where poor people had not enough to eat, billions of rupees were spent on the building by the previous government. He said a man spent a hefty amount on his luxuries and had the amount spent on the poor population of the country, results would have been different. He said the former CM was still using a bullet-proof car which he should return it immediately or pay its rent.

He said the previous rulers had worked only to get favours of one person, forgetting that they were answerable to God for their deeds. Providing details of the amount spent on luxuries by former Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, Khosa said an additional amount of Rs 119 million was spent on furnishing the building, spread over an area of 17.5 kanals. He said the pool of VVVIP vehicles consisted of 16 cars, including nine bullet-proof vehicles. “The bullet-proof vehicles were purchased at a cost of approximately Rs 490 million,” he added. The CM said the rest of the VVVIP vehicles cost Rs 512 million. “Some 137 vehicles were in use in the CM Secretariat, which cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer,” he elaborated.

Besides, he said an amount of over Rs 350 million was spent on construction work in the building. He said in a country where a large population had not a roof or shelter, the former CM spent Rs 14.4 million on horticulture outside the building whereas Rs 120 million were spent on construction and air-conditioning of the atrium whereas metal gates and boundary walls cost Rs 17.1 million.

Mr Khosa said the former CM also used four lifts which were installed at a cost of Rs 29.3 million for the two-storey building. He said floors in circulation areas on the first and second floor were tiled with granite marble whereas bathrooms were decorated with Spanish tiles. He said 98 security cameras and four day and night multi-dome cameras had also been installed in the secretariat. Revealing the security measures adopted by the former CM, he said bullet-proof glasses and windows had cost Rs 1.4 million.

He added that 460 personnel had been deployed for the security of the CM and approximately Rs 4 million were spent each year to maintain the building. He said the CM Secretariat had a sanctioned strength of 894 personnel, out of which 827 officers were from one district. He said out of the total employees of the CM Secretariat, 94 officers were of BS-17 and 733 officials of PS-16 or below.

“The amount spent on salaries and allowances of the staff in the current fiscal year was Rs 149.4 million. The total budget of the CM Secretariat in the current fiscal year is Rs 349 million,” he added.

The newly elected CM later announced a 70% reduction in the budget of the CM Secretariat. He said as per the promise made by PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the CM Secretariat had been declared an IT university and 90-Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam would be used by the CM.

He said only two cameras would be installed there whereas the rest would be set up at public places for security. To a question about the accountability of the former CM, he said everyone who had spent the money on his luxuries would have to be held accountable for his deeds.

To a question, he said the VIP culture had come to an end now and there would be no ‘signal off’ for the convoy of VIPs.
Source: The News
Date:4/14/2008