Constitutional Amends helped facilities’ provision at doorstep: PM
BADIN, Feb 7 (APP):  Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that provision of maximum facilities at the doorsteps of the people has become possible after passage of 18th and 19th amendments to  the Constitution which guaranteed  maximum autonomy to the provinces of the country. The present government has accomplished the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto by restoring the 1973 Constitution, which was given by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Prime Minister said  while addressing a mammoth public meeting, organised in connection with the inauguration of 132 KV Grid Stations of Golarchi and Badin in  Golarchi town, some 33 kilometres  from here on Monday evening.
He said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) fully respected the sovereignty of the Constitution and believed that there will be no conflict if all institutions including parliament, judiciary and executive perform responsibilities within the powers which were guaranteed by the Constitution. A  clash among the institutions will bring no more betterement in the country, he added.
The Prime Minister said that for the first time ever  in the history of the country, the sovereignty of the country is being witnessed where the bills being moved are being passed unanimously in the interests of the people.
He said that it was the result of the politics of understanding introduced by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, that Senators were elected unopposed from Islamabad and other provinces including Sindh, Punjab and Khaiber Pakhtunkhwa while dialogues with democratic forces including the opposition  have continued for the betterment of the country.
The Prime Minister said that the present government is striving hard to accomplish the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and serve the masses by providing them maximum facilities at  their nearest without  distinction of creed or caste.
The PPP is a party which has deep roots not only among the people of all provinces of the country, but its wings have been spread over in many countries of the world, he said and added as  a result  Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto were called the leader of international calibre.
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani maintained that PPP always protected the rights of the common people of the country particularly the oppressed class including the women and minority communities of the country and it would continue to protect their rights according to ther vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
He said that the district of Badin possessed rich mineral resources particularly oil and gas and the federal government has provided around Rs 250 million to the people of this district in respect of oil and gas production bonus while  the  remaining amount of around Rs 30 million would be granted soon.
The Prime Minister said the provision of oil and gas production bonus to the people of Badin was the fruit of the 18th amendment to the Constitution  which  guaranteed maximum provincial autonomy to the provinces.
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said that it was his government which declared the Thar Coal Reserves  as the property of Sindh and the exploration of coal has been started in one of the biggest  coal reserves of the world which would change the destiny of the people of Sindh very soon.
The Prime Minister said that when the present government took over the charge, the country was facing an acute shortage of wheat and flour, however, the policies of the government have  not only made the country self sufficient in wheat production but the countrymen witnessed the export of wheat this year after fulfilling the country’s requirement even at the time flood.
He said that the growers of the country are getting prices of their produces according to international market and soon the people would witness an agricultural revolution in the country.
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani while terming Badin district as “Mini Pakistan” because  people of all languages and communities live in the district said that the people of this district always expressed full confidence and faith in  PPP and due to this  Shaheed   Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto declared Badin as their home.
Shaheed Zulfikar  Ali Bhutto had contested the election for MNA seat from one of the constituencies of this district and when a clash was reported against the settlers of that time, he had taken a serious notice and provided protection to all those who had acquired  land in this district, he added.
The Prime Minister on the occasion announced the establishment of another 132 KV Grid Station in Tando Bago, drainage and filtered  water supply schemes for Golarchi.
He said that establishment of grid stations would not only restart the closed rice mills of the district, but it also provide job opportunities to unemployed youth and improve the socio economic condition of the common people.
Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza while addressing the public meeting refuted the propaganda that the present Parliament has no sovereignty adding that sovereignty of the parliament can be gauged by the passage of 18th and 19th amendments to the Constitution.
She said that whenever the country faces severe crisis its charge is given to PPP whose leadership always accepted the challenge and pulled the country out of crisis.
The PPP government always served the masses in critical conditions, she added.               
The Speaker National Assembly termed the day of inauguration of 132 KV Grid Stations in Badin a historic day for the people of this district since the creation of Pakistan.
She said that except the governments of Pakistan Peoples Party no other government had carried out development in the district, resulting in relegation of the district into a remote area.
She said that despite the fact that Badin possessed oil and gas reserves, the people of the area were deprived of gas facility however, it was the government of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto which provided gas facilities to the people of this district in 1995.
Similarly, she said that around 40 rice mills of the district had become non-functional because of shortage of electricity however, it is the present PPP government which has taken an initiative and established 132 KV Grid Stations in the district in a record time which make the non- functional rice mills and other industrial activities functional besides opening the door of employment to jobless persons of the district.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah while addressing the public meeting said that PPP is a strong political party which always rendered sacrifices for the restoration of democracy and provision of basic rights to the common people. It is because of its  struggle that  PPP has established deep roots among the masses, he said and added that those who are engaged in criticising  the President and the Prime Minister and claiming that PPP  has lost  confidence of the masses should come to the mammoth gatherings of the party and witness the its popularity.
He said that  PPP government is striving hard to take  the country and  the provinces towards the right path of  development.
Sindh  Chief Minister thanked  Prime Minister Gilani for providing development projects in Badin and requested the Prime Minister for the  launch of projects of coastal development in Badin and Thatta districts and provision of safe water to the people of Badin district.
Besides the federal government, the Chief Minister informed that Sindh Government is also completing the schemes of establishing hospital in Badin at a cost of Rs 600 million.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz  Ashraf in his address said that except the launching of power projects in the second tenure of the government of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, no project was initiated in this sector which resulted in power crisis in the country. However, he said that it is the present government which has taken the task and after hectic efforts, two thousand megawatts has been injected  in the main distribution system and soon  1200 more megawatts would be provided to the consumers.
Despite the country  passing  through a critical economic condition, he said  the present government is providing electricity on minimum rates and has been engaged in completing  development projects aimed to provide maximum facilities to the people at the earliest.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf lauded the role of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in  allocation  of a huge grant for establishing 132 KV Grid Stations in Badin despite a financial crunch and said that according to vision of President Asif Ali Zardari, efforts are being made to uplift the remote areas of the country with provision of maximum facilities to the people at their doorsteps.
The Federal Minister lauded the role of those who completed the task of establishing 132 KV Grid Stations in Badin within ten months time and announced a bonus equal to their one month’s salary.
Raja Pervaiz  Ashraf said that PPP always played a leading role for democracy and struggled for the rights of the people and the time is not far when the people would get all facilities at their nearest according to  the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Among others, Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza, President PPP Badin district MPA Dr. Sikandar Mehindro and MPA Muhammad Nawaz Shandio also addressed the public meeting and thanked the Prime Minister for fulfilling  a longstanding demand of  people of the district.
Federal Ministers Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and Syed Naveed Qamar and Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro were also present on the occasion.