LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) governing body has decided in-principle to revert LDA’s jurisdiction to Lahore.

At the LDA governing body meeting here on Friday, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed that a summary be submitted as necessary amendments be made in the LDA Act 1975 for the purpose. The LDA director-general briefed the meeting on the agenda items.

PML-N’s Punjab government in 2013 extended LDA’s jurisdiction to the Lahore division bringing Kasur, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura in its fold. With the expansion in its jurisdiction, the LDA also took control of the housing societies in the three newly included districts as well. However, the buildings control in the three remaining districts remained with the respective districts’ TMAs.

The meeting approved allotting a residential plot in Jubilee Town to the Panahgah Authority for setting up a shelter home.

Buzdar seeks summary

The governing body reviewed the deputation policy and directed devising a pragmatic and fair deputation policy for officers. He also ordered a sub-committee for submitting a detailed report within seven days after thorough deliberations with stakeholders.

The chief minister stated that the apartments project was very important to provide a roof to the low-income families, adding the LDA had been made a public-friendly institution as the government was committed to providing facilities at the doorsteps of the citizens.

The meeting was attended by Housing minister Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Wasa Vice-Chairman Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood, MPA Sadia Sohail Rana, administrative secretaries and others.

LG FUNDS: The Punjab local government and community development department on Friday released Rs18 billion to 136 tehsil councils for the provision of municipal services to the people.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the chief minister said the annual development programme of 2020-21 aimed at benefiting people at the grassroots level through a network of 306 local governments. Initially, 7352 schemes of about Rs.20 billion were identified in ADP.

PDWP: The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party in its 29th meeting on Friday approved four development schemes of various sectors with an estimated cost of Rs34.468 billion.

Chaired by Planning and Development Board Chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal, the meeting approved development schemes for the current fiscal 2020-21.

The approved development schemes are: National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses in Pakistan Phase-II (SMART, DLI-11) at the cost of Rs28.697 billion; Prime Minister Health Initiative (Revised) at the cost of Rs2.631 billion; Construction of Mahota Dam (Revised) at the cost of Rs2.804 billion and Strengthening of Programme Coordination Unit under Punjab Green Development Programme in P&D Board, Punjab (PC-II) at the cost of Rs335.33 million.

Provincial P&D secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch, members of the P&D Board, provincial secretaries of departments, Senior Chief (Coord) Javed Latif, Assistant Chief Coordination Shahid Idrees and other senior representatives of the relevant provincial departments attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2021