LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced plans to install 2,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the province to promote clean and modern transportation.
Under the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, 600 electric buses will also be introduced in the first phase. The plan was reviewed during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman through video link at the Civil Secretariat on Friday.
Senior officials including the secretaries of health and transport departments, CEO of Lahore Waste Management Company, LDA Director General, divisional commissioners, and all deputy commissioners took part in the meeting, either in person or online.
The chief secretary directed deputy commissioners to identify suitable locations in their districts for EV charging stations and electric bus depots.
He said the project aims to provide modern, safe, and comfortable public transport to people across Punjab in line with the vision of the chief minister. He also ordered action against overloading in public transport to ensure passenger safety.
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Reaffirming the government’s priorities, the chief secretary said that better governance and improved health services remain key goals of the provincial administration. He praised the cleanliness arrangements made during Eid-ul-Azha and urged officials to maintain these standards with continued efforts.
He stressed the need to eliminate corruption in the Revenue Department, calling it the key responsibility of deputy commissioners. He also asked for the quick completion of the land record computerisation and issued orders to take effective steps against stray dog bite cases.
In a related development, the Punjab government has launched the second phase of the Clinic-on-Wheels programme to bring health services directly to people’s homes. As part of this initiative, 25 mobile clinic vehicles were handed over to the District Health Authority Rawalpindi on Friday.
The handover ceremony was attended by Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema, local PML-N MNA Tahira Aurangzeb, and other officials.
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Out of the 25 vehicles, six are equipped for ultrasound services and 19 for general medical care. The distribution includes five vehicles for Rawalpindi tehsil, four each for Gujar Khan and Taxila, and two each for Kahuta, Kotli Sattian, and Kallar Syedan. Each tehsil will also receive one ultrasound vehicle.
Each mobile unit will have a doctor and a dispenser, who will visit people’s homes to offer medical checkups and treatment. During the ceremony, the deputy commissioner and MNA reviewed the medical vehicles, inspected the list of medicines, and checked the availability of emergency food for malnourished patients and medical equipment.
They said the Clinic-on-Wheels programme reflects Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s commitment to providing quality healthcare and health reforms in Punjab. They added that the mobile clinics will help bring treatment facilities directly to people’s doorsteps.
