MULTAN    -    South Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) Secretary Muhammad Altaf Baloch Thurs­day ordered tougher measures to throw narcotics out of the educa­tional institutions and pledged to make them smoke-free.

Taking notice of complaints of smoking and use of narcotics by students in educational in­stitutions in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions, Baloch directed DPI College South to come up with a tougher strategy to eliminate smoking and narcotics from the colleges.

In a meeting at the Educa­tion Secretariat with Secretary Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Bahawalpur, Rao Shamshad Ali and Controller Asma Qasim, the secretary said that certificates be sought from heads of pri­vate and government colleges and schools showing that these were smoke-free. 

He ordered secretary BISE Bahawalpur to cancel affilia­tion and registration of college in case of complaints of smok­ing and use of narcotics by stu­dents and visits be conducted frequently for monitoring.

Altaf Baloch also ordered edu­cation boards to submit com­parative performance reports of all schools and colleges for the last three years to evaluate their success rate. He ordered to end the practice of private marking centres and to instal CCTV cam­eras at official marking centres for proper monitoring. 

He said that higher education department has been made fully functional at the south Punjab education secretariat for conve­nience of people and added that HED south Punjab officers be also made members of boards keep­ing in view the rules of business.

Officials agreed to maintain effective liaison among depart­ments in line with authorities delegated to the education sec­retariat under Punjab Rules of Business. Earlier, Secretary BISE Bahawalpur Rao Shamshad Ali gave briefing to the secretary.

Additional Secretary Tariq Mahmood, Deputy Secretary Dr Azeem Qureshi, DPI Colleges Dr Fareed Shareef and other offi­cials were present.

THREE FRAUDSTERS HELD OVER DEPRIVING BISP BENEFICIARIES FROM FINANCIAL AID

Benazir Income Support Pro­gram (BISP) Rajanpur team raided and caught a gang of fraudsters involved in depriving BISP beneficiaries from finan­cial assistance through forgery.

According to details, a group of cheaters used to withdraw the financial aid of widows and poor women through taking fin­gerprints and other documents of BISP beneficiaries on the name of survey.

Rajanpur police registered the case against the accused on the application of Director BISP Mu­hammad Fiaz Ahmad.

The police have arrested three accused of the gang and recovered the goods used for fraudulent.

DPO Rajanpur has formed special raiding team for the ar­rest of the other accused.

EIGHT ILLEGAL LPG REFILLING SHOPS, FIVE PETROL UNITS SEALED

District administration launched a crackdown against illegal LPG refilling and sealed eight shops and five mini-petrol pump units here on Thursday. The operation was carried out led by Assistant Commissioner City at various places of the city under the di­rections of DC Omer Jehangir.

The civil defence staff also took the goods used in the re­filling of LPG into custody and launched legal action.

The DC said that the civil de­fence squad has been given the task to stop illegal LPG refill­ing, adding that the mini-petrol pumps in the city would not be tolerated. It was a threat to the precious lives of citizens due to LPG refilling.

The DC directed officials con­cerned to ensure the inspection of fire and safety systems in pla­zas and commercial places.