Latest news with #LahoreDevelopmentProgramme
Business Recorder
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
66 cities of Punjab to be uplifted in new financial year
LAHORE: Under the Chief Minister Cities Development Programme, the Punjab government has decided to launch development schemes in 66 cities of Punjab in the new financial year. Under this programme, all dirt roads will be paved or repaired, along with the construction and repair of connection roads, and a comprehensive sewage system will be introduced. Moreover, disposal stations will be solarised while sewerage problems will be solved by keeping in mind the needs of the population in 2050. In addition to rainwater drainage, storage tanks will also be built, and restoration of parks will also be included in the project. In this connection, the copies of PC-1 have been sent to the relevant municipal bodies. In this regard, Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq issued instructions while chairing a meeting through a video link on Thursday. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Additional Secretary Ahmar Kaifi, PMDFC MD and Deputy Commissioners of various districts participated. The Minister directed the concerned deputy commissioners to keep the model of the Lahore Development Programme in mind while working on the development schemes. He clarified that there will be no additional recruitment for the Cities Development Programme except for technical experts, and thus, only the available human resources will be utilised. 'The Punjab Local Government Department will complete this mega project in collaboration with Public Health Engineering,' he added. Rafiq said that in the next phase, 110 more cities will be included in the programme; in every city, all dirt roads will be paved or repaired, along with the construction and repair of connection roads, and a comprehensive sewage system will be introduced. 'In this connection, the copies of PC-1 have been sent to the relevant municipal bodies,' he added. He said the deputy commissioners have also been made members of the steering committee. He observed that in the past, only partial schemes were completed in cities; however, for the first time, an end-to-end solution for sanitation will be provided. He directed that transparency should be taken care of while implementing the project on the timeline. On this occasion, the Secretary said that e-tendering and digital payment methods should be implemented in the programme. He directed that before the construction of the streets, sui gas, electricity companies and cable network institutions should complete their work. 'After the completion of the work,' he warned, 'digging will be prohibited without the NOC of the district administration.' He said the use of safe and durable sewer pipes is the highlight of this program, adding that the benefits of HTP-lined sewer pipes will last for the next 100 years. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
22-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Punjab to roll out multibillion-rupee LDP Phase-II
The Punjab government is set to begin Phase-II of the Lahore Development Programme (LDP) on June 30, the same day the first phase is scheduled for completion. As part of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's development vision for the provincial capital, the administration has established strict deadlines and quality standards for ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects. Officials say that implementation momentum is gaining pace as the government prepares to transition smoothly from Phase-I to Phase-II of the ambitious citywide programme. Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL), Shahid Abbas Kathia, confirmed to APP that monthly review meetings are being conducted to monitor progress. "June 30 is the firm deadline for Phase-I, and we are committed to delivering results on time," he said, adding that the administration is fully aligned with the chief minister's development goals. The design and planning for Phase-II have already been finalised, with development activity slated to begin in Wagah, Aziz Bhatti, and Allama Iqbal towns. Among the major undertakings is the construction of a 312-kilometre-long sewerage network intended to modernize Lahore's aging wastewater infrastructure. This extensive sewerage revamp will include the installation of new pipelines and the establishment of disposal stations to separate clean water from sewage. The system will feature two primary routesLine A and Line Bserving the central zone of the city, aimed at addressing long-standing issues of drainage and water contamination. Officials have indicated that these improvements are part of a broader strategy to enhance urban infrastructure and public health standards in Lahore.
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Govt to enforce ban on road digging
The Punjab government has decided to strictly enforce a ban on road and street excavation without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from relevant authorities, as part of efforts to streamline development work and prevent repeated damage to newly completed infrastructure. The decision was made during a steering committee meeting of the Lahore Development Programme (LDP), chaired by Punjab Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafique. The CM's Special Assistant on Political Affairs Zeeshan Malik emphasised that no excavation would be permitted after construction is completed and warned of zero tolerance for sub-standard work. He said that the steering committee should be kept regularly updated on all developments. Divisional Commissioner Zaid Bin Maqsood assured the committee that all departments concerned are working in coordination to ensure the timely execution of the LDP projects. Lahore Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza confirmed that following the completion of LDP schemes, no road or street would be disturbed without prior approval through an NOC. He noted that the Lahore Metropolitan Corporation and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) are jointly implementing the programme in line with the guidance of the steering committee and the chief minister's directives. The committee reviewed the progress of development projects across the provincial capital and directed officials to strictly adhere to timelines, with an emphasis on minimising public inconvenience and completing excavation work before the monsoon season. Minister Zeeshan Rafique underscored the importance of ensuring alternative routes for citizens during construction activity. He urged the public to cooperate with the administration in maintaining newly developed infrastructure. He also noted that with the recent expansion of WASA's jurisdiction in Lahore, the agency's operational capacity must be enhanced, and various proposals in this regard are under consideration at the government level. He added that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is monitoring the progress by visiting project sites and her directives must be followed in all schemes. Information Minister Azma Bukhari emphasised the need for long-term planning, particularly in the installation of street lights and sewerage infrastructure. She said that systems should be designed to meet the city's needs for the next 30 years. She also called for accelerating the pace of work immediately after the Eidul Azha holidays and reiterated that the LDP includes plans for the restoration of public parks and improvements to cemetery facilities. Local Government Additional Secretary Ahmer Kaifi and WASA Managing Director Syed Ghufran Ahmed also attended the meeting. Meanwhile, the district administration registered six FIRs, sealed 12 properties and demolished over 4,000 encroachments during an operation on Monday. During the action, 36 truckloads of encroachment material were also seized. Unauthorised banners, posters and streamers were removed in large numbers to improve the urban landscape. With additional input from APP
Express Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Less than half of city uplift work completed
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inspected under-construction road, street and drainage projects in progress under the Lahore Development Plan during a surprise visit to several areas of the city. The chief minister directed the officials concerned to ensure the quality of the construction work at all cost and ensure timely completion of the development plan. She also visited a vegetable shop and checked the prices. She visited a market in the Chauburji area and enquired about the citizens' well-being, cleanliness arrangements and projects on the occasion. According to an official statement, citizens said their street had been built within 15 days after a wait of 40 years. However, sources in the relevant departments said the completion in time of the whole of the Lahore Development Programme launched with an estimated cost of Rs137 billion was likely to be a challenge for the departments concerned. They said the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) had so far completed 45 per cent of the development work assigned to it under the programe. The metropolitan corporation has completed 32% of the work. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had approved an allocation of Rs137 billion for various schemes for WASA and the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore. In the first phase of the plan, 252 WASA schemes were approved for the Gulberg, Ravi, Data Ganj Bakhsh, Samnabad, Iqbal Town and Nishtar zones with an estimated cost of Rs41.35 billion. An amount of Rs29.35 billion was initially released for the projects, of which Rs12.8 billion has been spent so far. During the past five months, 45% of the projects have been completed while the work on the rest is under way. The highest ratio of incomplete projects is in Samnabad. The work in the Ravi zone will be carried out in the second phase. WASA Managing Director Ghufran Ahmed told The Express Tribune that work on the development programme is progressing rapidly and the chief minister has released funds to solve the problems of Lahore on a permanent basis. He said WASA would complete its work in all the zones by July 30. On the other hand, the metropolitan corporation has to implement 3,820 schemes across the city at a cost of Rs19 billion, but work has been started on 2,676 of them so far. Out of the schemes, 960 have been completed, depicting a rate of 32%. The sources said Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza had expressed dissatisfaction during a recent meeting over the slow pace of work in some areas after being briefed about the ongoing development schemes. The officials said that most of the schemes could only be completed after the work on sewerage and water supply lines would be completed by WASA. The DC said instructions had been issued to the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore to complete the Lahore Development Programme Phase I by June 30 so that the schemes could be concluded within the stipulated time frame. Instructions were also issued to WASA to complete the work within the time frame. Deputy Commissioner Musa Raza the second phase of the development programme would be launched as soon as possible after the completion of Phase I.
Business Recorder
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
CM forms body to oversee Punjab cities' uplift programme
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has formed a provincial steering committee headed by Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq to oversee the cities development programme. Among the other members are Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Zeeshan Malik and Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian. The steering committee established at the provincial level will also take necessary decisions in consultation with the local elected representatives while the steering committee in each district will also work under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner. Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq's disclosed this during his visit to the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC) to review the progress on the programme on Monday. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian and Additional Secretary Ahmar Sohail Kaifi were also present. On this occasion, PMDFC MD Syed Zahid Aziz gave a briefing on the cities development programme. On this occasion, he said the survey for development works has been completed in all the small and big cities of the 35 districts of Punjab. 'This is another mega project of the Punjab government, under which the construction and repair of sewerage, drainage, rainwater storage, parks and streets in urban areas will be completed, while the drainage system will be converted to solar energy,' he added. He observed that the chief minister is following the province's policy of uniform development; in the first phase, 59 cities will be upgraded, and in the second phase, 110 cities will be upgraded. He averred that the project which is devised with the support of the World Bank will end the problems of basic services in cities that have been going missing for years. 'The chief minister has ordered the completion of the project in 50 cities by next year. The PMDFC should complete the PC-1 of each city during the current month, and the steering committee established at the provincial level will also take necessary decisions in consultation with the local elected representatives,' he added. He averred that a drainage by-system is being introduced in every city for the first time, laying special sewer lines will protect groundwater from possible contamination. On this occasion, the secretary, while directing to keep in mind the model of Lahore Development Programme, said that most of the available human resources will be utilised for the cities development programme and only new recruitment will be made for essential posts. He expressed his determination that the entire project will be completed within two years, which will meet the municipal needs of the cities for the next 25 years. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
