LAHORE DIVISION

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s flagship housing programme, “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar,” has achieved a major milestone in providing interest free housing loans to low income families. According to the Housing Department, more than 166,000 interest free loans have been disbursed under the programme, while over Rs 215.76 billion in financial assistance has been provided to eligible citizens for house construction. A spokesperson for the Housing Department said that 105,594 houses have so far been completed under the programme, enabling thousands of families to move into safe and dignified homes. In addition, construction work is currently underway on 28,453 houses, while work on another 32,048 houses is expected to begin soon to help more deserving families realise the dream of owning a home. The department said that more than Rs 14.5 billion has also been successfully recovered from the loans disbursed under the programme, reflecting transparency, effective implementation and the confidence of beneficiaries in the initiative. According to official figures, 1,211,954 applications have so far been received for the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme, demonstrating strong public trust and growing popularity of the scheme among low income groups. The Punjab government maintains that the programme will continue to expand access to interest free housing finance and advance public welfare objectives across the province.

Lahore: [ReNews Pakistan] An important meeting of the Lahore Development Authority’s Planning and Design Committee was held under the chairmanship of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq. The meeting, the last of the current financial year, reviewed in detail the cases submitted through the e Biz portal. During the meeting, directors of Town Planning from different LDA zones briefed the committee on cases related to their respective areas. The committee approved or rejected the submitted cases in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. Cases related to petrol pumps, schools, rehabilitation centres, medical centres and other categories were taken up for consideration. LDA DG Tahir Farooq directed that land use compliance must be ensured in all cases approved by the Planning and Design Committee. He further instructed that setback areas must be cleared in all approved cases. He also stressed that recovery of illegal penalty fees must be ensured before the approval of cases so that complete compliance with rules and regulations can be maintained. Chief Town Planner One, Chief Town Planner Two and a representative of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore attended the meeting. Representatives of LDA, MCL, TEPA, WASA and the Deputy Commissioner’s Office were also present. Directors from all zones of the LDA Town Planning Wing also participated in the meeting and presented their views on different cases.

Lahore: [ReNews Pakistan] Director General Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Tahir Farooq visited the Data Darbar expansion project and the under construction Bhatti Chowk underpass to review ongoing development work. Chief Engineer TEPA Iqrar Hussain, the project director and other relevant officials briefed him on the progress of both projects. During the briefing, officials said construction work on the Bhatti Chowk underpass is continuing without interruption. Water bound work on Ramp One has been completed, while asphalt work on the same section is expected to begin within the next two days. Officials further informed the DG that teams are working day and night on the main barrel of the underpass to ensure timely completion of the project. The LDA DG directed the contractor to complete the water bound and asphalt work as soon as possible. He also instructed that asphalt work on the service road connected to the underpass should be started immediately. Keeping the monsoon rain schedule in view, he directed officials to ensure all safety measures during construction activities. During the visit, Tahir Farooq also inspected different sections of the Data Darbar expansion project, including the toilet block, parking area, green area, pedestrian underpass and facade work on surrounding buildings. Officials briefed him that finishing work on the pedestrian underpass is also continuing without interruption, while facade work around Data Darbar is being carried out at a fast pace to improve the overall appearance of the area. The LDA DG directed the relevant officials to further accelerate work on both projects, ensure there is no compromise on quality and monitor all development activities round the clock so the projects can be completed on time and opened for the public.