Lahore Division

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
Under the Punjab government’s “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme, interest free housing loans have so far been disbursed to 180,297 families for the construction of their homes, with the total value of loans distributed reaching Rs 232.09 billion.
Director General PHATA Sikandar Zeeshan met Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Bilal Yasin and gave him a detailed briefing on the progress of the programme, including the status of applications, loan disbursements and ongoing house construction.
According to the briefing, the programme’s online portal has so far received 1,456,664 applications, of which 1,079,224 have completed the scrutiny process.
Bilal Yasin said that among the families who received loans under the programme, 109,946 have completed construction of their homes, while work on another 39,943 houses is currently underway.
A total of Rs232.09 billion in loans has been disbursed under the programme so far. In addition, Rs19.561 billion has been allocated for the provision of loans to another 13,314 families.
The housing minister said the provision of interest free loans to deserving families was an important step towards helping low income households secure their own homes.
He added that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would soon begin disbursing loans to applicants from the initial phase of the programme. Authorities in all districts have also been directed to ensure the timely distribution of loans to eligible families.
Bilal Yasin further instructed officials to accelerate implementation of the programme while ensuring transparency and merit throughout the application scrutiny and loan disbursement process.

Lahore : Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan
The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has intensified its crackdown on illegal commercial buildings and commercial fee defaulters, sealing 63 properties and demolishing five unauthorised structures across different parts of the city and areas under its jurisdiction.
Acting on the directives of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq, teams from the Town Planning Wing carried out operations on LDA City Road, Shahid Town, Pak Arab Housing Scheme, Gulberg, Faisal Town, Canal Road, Shadman and Poonch Road.
LDA teams demolished five illegal structures during operations on LDA City Road, Shahid Town and Pak Arab Housing Scheme.
In Gulberg and Faisal Town, 25 properties were sealed over unauthorised commercial use, while another 38 properties were sealed on Canal Road, Shadman and Poonch Road for illegal commercial activity and non payment of commercialisation fees.
The sealed properties included private schools, colleges, academies, halls, salons, cafes, restaurants, food outlets, grocery stores, clinics, hardware stores, electrical stores, pharmacies, shops, car showrooms and offices, among other commercial establishments.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Chief Town Planner One Asad uz Zaman and Chief Town Planner Two Azhar Ali.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said enforcement action against illegal commercial buildings and properties defaulting on commercial fees would continue withouty discrimination.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has banned handwritten and informal receipts at restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, marriage halls and other notified businesses across Punjab, making electronically generated tax receipts mandatory as part of a broader crackdown on tax evasion and manipulation of sales records. Under a notification issued by the authority, businesses covered by the new requirements must use the Electronic Invoice Monitoring System (EIMS) for recording transactions and issuing receipts to customers. The PRA has warned that businesses failing to issue EIMS generated receipts could face fines ranging from Rs 400,000 to Rs 1 million. Establishments repeatedly violating the requirements may also be sealed for up to one month. The move is aimed at strengthening the monitoring of sales transactions and ensuring that businesses accurately declare their revenue for taxation purposes. Electronic invoicing allows the revenue authority to maintain a more transparent record of transactions and reduces opportunities for businesses to underreport sales through informal billing practices. Under the new rules, restaurants, marriage halls and other covered establishments will no longer be allowed to provide handwritten receipts, kitchen order slips, unpaid bills or similar documents to customers as substitutes for a proper tax invoice. Instead, customers must be provided with an official receipt containing key information including the name and address of the business, receipt number and a Punjab Revenue Authority QR code. The authority has also warned businesses against tampering with sales records or electronic invoicing systems. Strict legal action may be taken against establishments that fail to provide required records to enforcement teams or interfere with government officials performing their duties. PRA enforcement officers have been directed to take immediate action against businesses found violating the electronic invoicing requirements. The notification was issued on the instructions of PRA Chairman Muazam Iqbal Sapra, while commissioners across Punjab have been directed to ensure implementation of the measures within their respective jurisdictions. The latest enforcement measures are part of the provincial revenue authority’s efforts to bring business transactions into a documented system, improve tax compliance and prevent the concealment or manipulation of taxable sales across Punjab.