Lahore Division

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan Punjab’s flagship Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing programme has earned international recognition after the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) received the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award 2026 for expanding access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for low income families. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif received the award at the global observance of World Habitat Day held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat. The chief minister, who attended the ceremony as a state guest, dedicated the international honour to the families who have constructed their homes under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme. The award places Punjab’s housing initiative among five winners selected globally for contributions to housing, sustainable urban development and improved living conditions. The other 2026 winners represented initiatives and individuals from Myanmar, Brazil, Tunisia and the United Kingdom. Maryam Nawaz was welcomed at the World Habitat Day ceremony by UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach along with other international participants. The award was presented during the global ceremony held under the theme of ensuring adequate housing for all. The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme provides interest free financing to eligible low-income families to enable them to construct homes on land they already own. The initiative is being implemented through PHATA, Punjab’s principal public sector agency responsible for housing and town planning. The provincial government has set a target of facilitating the construction of 500,000 homes over five years, with the programme aimed particularly at families who have traditionally faced difficulty accessing formal housing finance. Speaking on the occasion, Maryam Nawaz said the award belonged to the families whose dream of owning a home had become a reality through the programme. She reiterated the Punjab government’s commitment to expanding affordable housing and ensuring that deserving families have access to secure shelter. The chief minister also attended the opening of a special UN Habitat exhibition organised in connection with World Habitat Day and participated in other events associated with the global gathering in Muscat. The UN Habitat Scroll of Honour, established in 1989, is one of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme’s most prominent international recognitions for individuals, institutions and initiatives that make significant contributions to housing, sustainable urban development and improvements in the quality of urban life. The 2026 awards were presented to five winners selected from more than 100 nominations received from different regions of the world, highlighting projects and leadership addressing affordable housing, displacement, resilient construction and inclusive urban development.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has launched five major road projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, placing their management, toll operations and maintenance with private-sector operators as part of a broader effort to improve road infrastructure and mobilise additional revenue. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif formally launched the projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority. Together, the five road corridors cover approximately 318 kilometres and are expected to generate around Rs22 billion in revenue for the provincial government. The projects include the 80-kilometre Muridke-Narowal Road, the 33-kilometre Shakargarh-Narowal Road, the 97-kilometre Faisalabad Ring Road, the 52-kilometre Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and the 56-kilometre Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajana Road. Under the PPP arrangement, private operators will assume responsibility for toll collection as well as the maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of the roads for a period of seven years. Electronic toll plazas will be introduced on the selected routes and linked with the National Highway Authority's tolling system. The arrangement is intended to modernise toll collection, improve operational efficiency and establish a more systematic mechanism for maintaining the road network throughout the concession period. By assigning long-term maintenance obligations to private operators, the provincial government aims to ensure that the roads remain in serviceable condition rather than relying primarily on periodic public-sector allocations for repairs and rehabilitation. The initiative also represents an effort to make greater use of existing public infrastructure as a revenue-generating asset while involving private-sector expertise and investment in its management. The Punjab government is planning to extend the PPP framework to additional road corridors. Roads identified for possible inclusion include Bahawalpur-Yazman Road, Yazman-Ahmedpur East Road, Raiwind-Changa Manga Road and Gajjumata-Kasur Road. Their proposed transfer indicates that the government intends to expand the model beyond the initial five projects if the arrangement delivers the anticipated improvements in revenue collection, maintenance and service standards. The PPP Authority's mandate is also extending beyond highways and road infrastructure. It is working on projects in transport, healthcare, education, tourism, waste management and urban facilities, reflecting the provincial government's broader strategy of using public-private partnerships to finance, develop and operate infrastructure and public services. The latest road initiative is particularly significant because it combines revenue collection with defined maintenance responsibilities over a seven-year period. Instead of separating toll operations from road upkeep, private operators will be responsible for both functions under the PPP framework. The five projects are therefore expected to serve as an important test of Punjab's expanding public-private partnership strategy, particularly its ability to improve infrastructure management while reducing pressure on conventional government funding for recurring road maintenance and rehabilitation.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has made clearance of the sanitation fee, commonly referred to as the garbage tax, mandatory for property transactions across the province from this month, linking the levy with the property transfer process in an effort to improve recovery of sanitation charges. Under the new arrangement, the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department will not issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) required for the purchase or sale of a property unless all outstanding property tax and sanitation fee liabilities have been cleared. Previously, property owners were generally required to clear their property tax liabilities for issuance of the relevant NOC. The sanitation fee will now become part of the clearance requirement, effectively making payment of both dues necessary before a property transaction can proceed through the applicable process. According to Excise Department officials, the measure has been introduced after the department was assigned responsibility for collecting sanitation charges under the Punjab government's Suthra Punjab Programme. The move is intended to integrate recovery of sanitation charges with the existing property tax collection mechanism and improve compliance among property owners. By linking the sanitation fee with property transactions, the government aims to ensure that outstanding dues are recovered when properties are bought or sold. Officials expect more than Rs 82 billion to be collected from over five million properties across Punjab, including Lahore, through property tax and sanitation charges. Of the total projected collection, around Rs 40 billion is targeted from the sanitation fee during the current financial year, while more than Rs 42 billion is expected to be generated through property tax. The sanitation fee has been structured according to the size and category of properties, with different monthly rates applicable to residential and commercial premises. Urban residential properties measuring up to five marlas will be charged Rs 300 per month, while properties measuring more than five and up to 10 marlas will attract a monthly fee of Rs 500. Residential properties measuring more than 10 and up to 20 marlas will be charged Rs 1,000 per month. The monthly sanitation fee will rise to Rs 2,000 for residential properties measuring more than 20 and up to 40 marlas, while properties larger than 40 marlas will be charged Rs 5,000 per month. Separate rates have been prescribed for commercial properties. Small businesses and shops will be required to pay Rs500 per month, medium-sized businesses Rs 1,000, and large businesses and factories Rs 3,000 per month. The Excise Department will issue consolidated bills for collection of the sanitation fee. Since the levy for July, August and September was not collected separately, bills covering the three months are being distributed during October. Property owners and other liable consumers have been given until October 31 to clear the outstanding charges covered by these bills. Informal settlements and slum areas are generally exempt from the sanitation fee, while eligible residential and commercial properties across the province have been brought under the collection mechanism. The sanitation levy forms part of the financing mechanism for waste collection and cleanliness services under the Suthra Punjab Programme, which seeks to establish a broader and more sustainable sanitation system across urban and rural areas of the province. Officials said linking sanitation dues with the property clearance process is expected to strengthen enforcement because owners seeking to sell or transfer properties will first have to settle their outstanding liabilities. With the new requirement taking effect this month, property owners planning transactions will need to ensure that both their property tax and applicable sanitation charges are fully paid before seeking the required clearance from the Excise Department.