BAHAWALPUR: The Board of Directors of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Bahawalpur, at its meeting held here on Saturday approved its budget for the current fiscal year, showing estimated income of Rs91.4 million against the expenditure of Rs172 million.

The PHA BoD’s meeting presided over by chairperson Ms Shehla Ehsan Malik was informed that during the current year PHA expected financial grant of Rs47.9 million from Punjab government while from its own resources of publicity and other heads an income of Rs23.5m was expected.

PHA Director Rana Qaddafi told Dawn that the government’s financial assistance would be meant for the non-development expenditures i.e for the salaries, petrol of the vehicles etc. He claimed the PHA would earn a sum of 23.5m from its own resources -- the publicity and hoardings fees.

He said the government had included a scheme to develop a new park costing about Rs40m near Dewan Wali Pulli in the current year’s annual development program (ADP). He said the state-of the-art park to be developed on 13 acres would be meant for the residents of the new housing colonies around Jhangiwali Road.

He said recently the PHA had also developed a new park near Shahdra for the children.

The BoD also approved two-year extension in the service of some 200 contractual employees and the upgrade of pay scales of several other employees of different PHA sections.

On the occasion, a private automobile company donated 10,000 tree saplings to the PHA to make a success the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s campaign for ‘clean and green Pakistan’.

PHA Bahawalpur Director-General Baqa Muhammad Jam appealed to different institutions to make donations of sapling for the drive.

ARREARS: The revenue department claims to have recovered around Rs900 millions of arrears from the district during 2018.

This was stated by officials privy to a meeting chaired by Board of Revenue (BoR) Tax Member Punjab Shoaib Tariq Warraich here.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2019