From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday has inaugurated a digital mechanism, e-Abiana system, for water cess collection to facilitate farmers, making an end to the century-old water payment collection system.
Punjab CM Usman Buzdar attended the inauguration ceremony of the e-Abiana (water tax) billing system at 90 Shahrea Quaid-e-Azam. He announced that the century-old system for water tax collection system has come to an end today after the induction of the e-Abiana billing system.
He detailed that the e-Abiana system was initially launched in Canal Divisions Khanwa, Layyah, Kasur and Sheikhupura and it will be introduced across the province in phases.
Through the modern system, farmers will be issued computerised bills for water cess that would also end the exploitation of farmers and corruption.
The chief minister added that the modern system will ensure timely water payments besides getting financial assistance for looking after the canal system. During the ceremony, CM Usman Buzdar handed over e-Abiana bills to farmers. The digital mechanism for water tax collection is a joint effort of the Punjab Irrigation Department and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).
Earlier, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Shehzad Akbar met Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday and discussed with him matters of mutual interest, political and other important issues.
The duo congratulated the recently elected chairman and deputy chairman Senate on their victory. Usman Buzdar and Shehzad Akbar also congratulated Prime Minister Imran Khan on the success of the government candidates in the Senate elections.
Both the leaders strongly condemned the attempts of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to make the institutions controversial. Usman Buzdar pledged that no one would be allowed to malign the national institutions and those who were involved in the attempt were not the well-wisher of the country.
“We are standing with our national institutions and will always support them. The corrupt gang humiliates itself by trying to do politics on non-issues,” he said.
He said that every nefarious design of the gang would be foiled. Usman Buzdar said that the elimination of corrupt elements and qabza mafia from Punjab wad his mission and added that the state land worth billions of rupees had been vacated during the last two years besides taking indiscriminate action against the Qabza Mafia, and the crackdown would continue.
