Latest news with #Rs450
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Gig workers postpone auto, cab strike after commuters' harrowing experience
Pune: The Indian Gig Workers' Front on Saturday evening suspended the ongoing strike of cabs and autorickshaws operating on applications till Tuesday, after leaving many commuters, including those arriving at the airport on Saturday morning, hassled. Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of the front, said, "We have a meeting on Tuesday with senior officials of the state transport department. If its decisions don't meet our expectations, the strike will resume." Several commuters had a harrowing experience on roads on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday. Cabs and autos were hard to come by. The fortunate ones getting vehicles had to fork out double the average fare. Worse, a few got a taste of unruly drivers' misbehaviour. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Pratik Chhoriyaan, an IT professional, landed in Pune in the early hours of Saturday. "People were stranded at Aeromall's first and second floor outside the Pune airport because of the strike. Some auto and cab drivers on duty demanded over Rs1,000 for an 8km distance." Aviral Bhatnagar, an investor, wrote on X, "Pune's having Ola/Uber/Rapido cab drivers' strike to raise prices. What earlier cost Rs350 now costs Rs700. One asked me to pay Rs1,000 instead of Rs300. In the quest for maximising profits, cab drivers are killing the golden goose of cab aggregators." Dinesh Tiwari, a resident of Wanowrie, struggled to find a cab to go to his office. "My car went for servicing two days ago, and it has been a big challenge finding a cab or an auto. I have been paying Rs300-400 to travel a short distance of 7km." Anvesh Kulkarni, a resident of Hadapsar, tried to book a cab multiple times on Saturday morning but failed. "I had to take my family to Koregaon Park for a function. We tried booking autorickshaws and cabs for an hour, but failed. Finally, I called up an autorickshaw driver known to us. He dropped us for Rs450," he said. Dilip Sonawane, a cab driver on these aggregators since 2015, said, "We are demanding the updated fares the RTO has allowed us to charge. Since the same fares are not showing up on the app, customers do not want to pay the revised amount. Most customers say they will pay the new rates if these reflect on the app. Ola, Uber and Rapido are refusing to update the rates. This is causing major confusion among commuters." Prakash Rajguru, the president of LV Antaral Autorickshaw Sanghatana, who operates prepaid autorickshaws from the Pune airport, said their business revived in the past two days after months of stalemate. "The strike left flyers with no option but to come to us. We have done brisk business. Each of us made multiple trips. We charged fares as per the RTA-approved pre-paid rates. Flyers with more luggage hired two or even three autorickshaws because they didn't have a choice," Rajguru said. Another prepaid auto driver talked about an incident in the early morning hours. "A passenger negotiating with an auto driver was stunned because he was asked for a fare of Rs2,000 for going to Hinjewadi-phase-1. When I saw him moving towards the AeroMall, I requested him to book a ride with us from the counter. He did that. We gave him a receipt of Rs525, and a colleague of mine took him to his destination," he said.
Express Tribune
23-06-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Civil Hospital to have high-tech modular Ots
The Civil Hospital Karachi is set to receive three state-of-the-art modular operation theatres, designed to meet international infection-control standards. The project, estimated to cost up to Rs450 million, is expected to be functional within two months. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Medical Superintendent Dr?Khalid Bukhari said that the modular OT plan was under consideration for two years. It has officially been approved in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Credit for the scheme goes to Sindh Health Minister Dr?Azra Fazal Pechuho and Health Secretary Dr?Rehan Baloch. Under the provincial initiative, 15 modular OTs will be built across Sindh, with three at Civil Hospital Karachi. Dr?Bukhari noted that while private hospitals in Karachi already have modular OTs, this is going to be the first time that such facilities are installed in a government hospital in the city. He explained that these theatres provide a sterile environment during surgery with HEPA filters, ensuring continuous clean air for both the surgeon as well as the patient. Key features of the modular OTs include airtight doors, dedicated air-handling units, antibacterial flooring, and the use of stainless steel or antimicrobial materials to facilitate cleaning and prevent microbial growth. Temperature, airflow, lighting, and gas systems are all fully controlled, with shadowless lights and automatic doors aiding surgical precision. Compared to traditional OTs, modular versions drastically cut down the risk of infection. Currently, the hospital has 14 conventional operating theatres, where surgeons handle complex cancer and other long procedures lasting six to eight hours. In this context, modular OTs have become essential. Dr?Bukhari said that approval for the three theatres has been secured and a request for four more will be submitted soon. He mentioned that all equipment including tables, head lights, and related hardware will be imported. "These modern OTs will be a boon not only for medical staff but also for patients," he added.
Express Tribune
22-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Land price mismatch mars auction
The Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) has failed to auction more than 569 amenity plots over the last two and a half years due to a significant mismatch between official land rates and prevailing market prices. Facing repeated setbacks, FDA officials have now sought assistance from the district administration and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to rationalise land valuations in line with current market dynamics. Sources reveal that the vacant residential and commercial plots — 69 within city limits and over 500 in the FDA City Housing Colony on Sargodha Road — were initially mortgaged by private developers as part of layout plan approvals. These plots were earmarked for public utility sites, including schools, mosques, dispensaries, and parks, with FDA responsible for their development and disposal. Director Estate Management FDA, Junaid Manj, said that in an auction held on May 21, 2025, the authority managed to sell only two utility plots out of 71 due to the stark disparity between market rates and those fixed by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and FBR. "For example, while the market price in Madina Town is around Rs7 million per Marla, the official DC and FBR rate is Rs12.5 million. This discourages buyers from participating in the auctions," he said. Manj further noted that despite having prime properties available in locations like Madina Town, Gulistan Colony, Ahmad Nagar, Iron Market, Millat Town, Truck Stand Jhang Road, and Gulistan Plaza, public response has remained lukewarm due to unrealistic pricing and additional government-imposed taxes — up to 6% — on buyers. "We've reached out through official correspondence and direct meetings with the concerned authorities, but the disparity persists. Every effort to sell these valuable plots has ended in disappointment," Manj lamented. Sohail Maqsood Punnon, Project Director of the FDA City Scheme, shared that another auction exercise conducted on June 18, 2025, also failed as no participants turned up — despite prior confirmations from at least 12 interested parties. "In FDA City, the market rate is Rs450,000 per Marla, yet the official DC rate is Rs800,000. It's simply impractical to expect successful auctions under such conditions," Punnon explained. He added that the failure to auction these plots is depriving the FDA exchequer of vital public funds. FDA Director General Chaudhary Muhammad Asif confirmed that letters have been sent to higher authorities requesting urgent rationalization of official land rates to bring them in line with market conditions.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
District hospitals low on spending agenda
While the Punjab government has increased the health sector development budget for 2025-26 by 131 per cent as compared to the outgoing financial year, the non-development expenses outweigh the allocation and the tehsil and district hospitals appear to have been accorded a low priority. "We appreciate the Punjab government over the allocation of funds for various pending hospital construction projects, including the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Bahwalnagr Hospital. However, there are minimum funds for the district and tehsil headquarters hospitals that are the most important for the local residents," said Punjab Young Doctors Association Chairman Dr Salman Haseeb Chairman while commenting on the budget. He also opposed the policy of outsourcing government hospitals. As per the budget documents, the government has allocated Rs181 billion as development budget for the health sector for the year 2025-26 and Rs450 billion for non-developmental expenditures. The budget estimates for the foreign programme loans have been set at Rs47.896 billion. The provincial government is likely to receive budgetary support loans from international development partners for the National Health Support, Access to Clean Energy Investment, Punjab Family Planning, Punjab Green Development, Punjab Resource Improvement and Digital Effectiveness (PRIDE), Punjab Affordable Housing, Punjab Clean Air and Resilient STEM Secondary Education programmes. The flagship healthcare initiatives include a medical city, free medicines and new centres for cancer and cardiac care. The establishment of Nawaz Sharif Medical District in Lahore has been proposed, for which Rs109 billion has been allocated in 2025-26 for land acquisition. Under the project, Rs54 billion has been allocated for Children Hospital-II and Institute of Genetic Blood Diseases, Institute of Surgical Orthopedic and Medical Rehabilitation, Centre of Excellence for Nursing Education, Specialised Medical Hospital and College, a 1,000-bed Cardiac Institute, Medical University and state-of-the-art diagnostic lab. For the construction of medical colleges in Narowal, Okara and Layyah, an amount of Rs16 billion has been allocated. For the establishment of a children's hospital in Rawalpindi, Rs8.5 billion has been set aside. For a teaching hospital in Sialkot, Rs7 billion has been allocated. An allocation of Rs12.5 billion has been proposed for the Maryam Nawaz Community Health Services Programme through outsourced community health inspectors, for the establishment of centres of excellence for nursing education in Multan and Rawalpindi with ADB loan, Rs15 billion has been set aside. Moreover, for the establishment of burns units in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan, Rs5 billion has been allocated. Budgetary allocations have also been made for revamping of the remaining BHUs across Punjab, dispensaries and mother and child health centres along with the provision of equipment, furniture and fixtures. Under the Chief Minister's Special Initiative for Dialysis, Rs8.6 billion has been earmarked, while for provision of free medicines in public sector hospitals, Rs79.5 billion has been set aside. With an amount of Rs25 billion, a Universal Health programme will be launched for provision of cheap and quality treatment facilities. For setting up cath labs at the district level, Rs3 billion has been allocated in the budget. General Cadre Doctors Association President Dr Masood Sheikh said the government had allocated ample budget for providing free medicines to patients but the amount should utilised transparently. He said many posts were vacant in the sector and the development expenditure needed to be hiked.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Funds allocated for NA-53 projects
The government has approved significant funding for the completion of development projects initiated during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) era, including hospitals and infrastructure schemes in NA-53, said Member of the National Assembly and Chairman District Coordination Committee Rawalpindi, Engineer Qamarul Islam Raja. Sharing details of the approved projects for the fiscal year 2025-26, the MNA said that Rs210 million have been allocated for Jorian Hospital and Rs110 million for Potohar Town Rawat Hospital, covering all remaining funds needed to complete both medical facilities. He further announced that Rs450 million have been sanctioned for completing the remaining portion of Adiala Road from Khawaja Corporation to Gorakhpur, while Rs2.3 billion have been approved for the construction of a dual carriageway from Gorakhpur to Khasala Khurd. To improve connectivity in the region, an additional Rs1.7 billion have been approved for a new underpass at Tulsa Morr on Adiala Road, following the Rs3.5 billion Khawaja Corporation Flyover. In a revival of water infrastructure projects, the Rs1.8 billion Mujahid Dam project has also received approval, following the earlier Mohata Dam initiative. Raja said efforts are underway to ensure additional funds are allocated within the current fiscal year to enable the dam's completion in FY 2026. A sum of Rs20 million has been approved for the construction of the Chora Sharif to Malukal Road. Similarly, Rs150 million have been allocated for the Dhok Budhal to Sukho Road, which will provide a direct connection between Rawat and Chakwal Road. To ensure there are no delays after the completion of Daducha Dam, Rs10 million have been set aside for the design and paperwork of the water supply system, enabling its immediate implementation. The MNA further stated that a total of Rs60 million has been allocated for the water supply schemes in Mohri Ghazan, Lakhan, and Dhamial. An amount of Rs30 million has been set aside for the development of the Kulyan HameedMalukal Road. Additionally, Rs70 million have been approved for the revival of the Dhok Budhal Water Supply Scheme, as well as for street construction and drainage work. Approximately Rs28 million will be used for the rehabilitation of the Malukal Water Supply Scheme and associated drainage infrastructure. For street construction and drainage in Mauza Jorian, Union Council Dhamial, Rs15 million have been sanctioned. Moreover, the remaining Rs9 billion required for the Rawalpindi Ring Road project will be released immediately, said the MNA.
