Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar laid the foundation stone of Firdous Market Underpass Project here on Monday.

Talking on this occasion, the CM told that a sum of one billion and 76 crore rupees will be spent on this project which includes land acquisition as well.

Giving the details, he added that construction cost was estimated at one billion and nine crore rupees but the government saved a sum of Rs13 crore through transparent tendering and now, the construction cost would be Rs96 crore. He commended the LDA for saving Rs13 crore adding that the PTI government is the custodian of every penny. This project is estimated to be completed in a period of four months but the LDA has been directed to finish it in 90 days, he said.

Usman Buzdar emphasized that he will personally supervise this important project as like the supervision of development schemes of backward areas. The public resources were dissipated in the past but the incumbent government has saved the public money, he continued. Money minting was the preference of the past tenure but this government saves money to spend it on public welfare.

The CM continued that the credit of saving a huge amount of construction cost goes to the policies of the incumbent government. He maintained that this 540-meter long two-lane dual carriageway underpass will facilitate the traffic of the neighbouring areas. The underpass facility will be comprised of double lanes on both sides with special arrangements for water disposal.

He told that around seven Kanal land will be acquired for this project assuring that no building at Firdous Market Chowk will be affected. This project will benefit more than 91 thousand vehicles daily to save fuel worth crores of rupees annually, he said.

Usman Buzdar said that this project will solve the traffic problems and citizens’ precious time will not be wasted. He reiterated that inhabitants of the provincial metropolis will be provided more facilities and the sewerage and water supply systems will also be improved. DG LDA Ahmad Aziz Tarar briefed the CM about the project.

Provincial Ministers Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, Murad Raas, Vice Chairman LDA Sheikh Muhammad Imran, Punjab assembly members Sadia Sohail Rana, Umer Aftab Dhillon, Secretary Information, DC Lahore and others were also present on this occasion.