Lahore Division

Lahore : ReNews Pakistan The Lahore Heritage Run will be held tomorrow morning bringing together runners and citizens from Lahore and other parts of Punjab for an event aimed at highlighting the city’s rich historical and cultural heritage. The run will begin at the historic Diwan e Aam, from where participants will make their way through Lahore’s historic quarter before completing the route at Hazuri Bagh. The event is aimed at combining healthy outdoor activity with greater public engagement with Lahore’s heritage, taking participants through an area that represents centuries of the city’s history, architecture and cultural identity. People from different walks of life are expected to participate in the event, with regular runners as well as members of the public joining the heritage route. Director General Pakistan Railways Walton Academy Muhammad Hanif Gul will also attend the Lahore Heritage Run as an observer and witness the event. Organisers believe activities such as the Heritage Run can help promote physical activity among citizens, particularly young people, while also encouraging greater awareness of historic sites and the importance of preserving the city’s cultural heritage. The route from Diwan e Aam to Hazuri Bagh will bring together sport, fitness and heritage in the heart of historic Lahore, offering participants an opportunity to experience some of the city’s most significant surroundings while taking part in the run.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has formally introduced sanitation charges for residential and commercial properties across the province under the Suthra Punjab Programme, bringing property owners and businesses under a new fee collection system linked to waste management and sanitation services. According to a notification issued by the Local Government and Community Development Department, the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has been assigned responsibility for collecting the sanitation charges. The new system took effect from July 1, 2026. Since charges for the first three months were not collected separately, the Excise Department will issue consolidated bills covering July, August and September during October. Property owners and other consumers will have until October 31 to clear their outstanding sanitation dues, while an online payment facility is expected to become available by October 15. The sanitation fee structure for residential properties in urban areas has been linked directly to property size, meaning larger homes will face progressively higher monthly charges. Residential properties measuring up to five marlas will be charged Rs 300 per month, equivalent to Rs 3,600 annually if the same rate remains applicable throughout the year. Homes measuring more than five marlas and up to 10 marlas will face a monthly sanitation fee of Rs 500, while properties measuring between 10 and 20 marlas will be charged Rs 1,000 per month. For larger residential properties, the charges increase substantially. Homes measuring between 20 and 40 marlas will be required to pay Rs 2,000 per month, while residential properties exceeding 40 marlas will face the highest listed charge of Rs 5,000 per month. At these rates, the annual sanitation cost would range from Rs 3,600 for properties in the lowest category to as much as Rs 60,000 for homes exceeding 40 marlas, provided the monthly rates remain unchanged. Commercial properties in urban areas have also been brought under the sanitation fee regime, although their charges will be determined according to the size or category of the business rather than residential plot size. Small businesses will be charged Rs 500 per month, while medium-sized commercial establishments will pay Rs 1,000. Large businesses will face a monthly sanitation fee of Rs 3,000. The commercial fee structure translates into annual charges of Rs 6,000 for small businesses, Rs12,000 for medium-sized businesses and Rs 36,000 for large commercial establishments if the notified rates remain in force for a full year. The introduction of property-based sanitation charges represents an important component of the provincial government's Suthra Punjab Programme, which seeks to establish a more organised waste collection, cleaning and sanitation system across Punjab. Assigning collection responsibility to the Excise Department also links the sanitation fee mechanism with an institution already responsible for collecting various property-related taxes and government levies across the province. For property owners, the new arrangement means sanitation services will now carry a recurring financial obligation based on the category and, in the case of residential properties, the size of the property. The immediate financial impact will be greater in October because consumers are expected to receive bills covering three months simultaneously. A homeowner normally liable for Rs 300 per month, for example, would face Rs 900 for July through September, while a property in the Rs 5,000 monthly category would accumulate Rs 15,000 for the same period. Similarly, the three-month sanitation liability would amount to Rs 1,500 for a small commercial business, Rs 3,000 for a medium-sized business and Rs 9,000 for a large commercial establishment. With the fee structure formally notified and collection responsibility assigned to the Excise Department, residential and commercial property owners across Punjab will now be required to incorporate sanitation charges into their recurring property-related expenses under the provincial government's new waste management framework.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has approved financing of up to Rs 15 billion for the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), providing significant financial support for the authority’s large scale development programme along the Ravi River. The provincial government has also restored more than Rs 2.75 billion in previously cancelled financing earmarked for flood protection works, allowing critical river management and protection projects to continue. Under the approved arrangement, the Rs 15 billion financing will be provided by the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority through the provincial financial mechanism. The funds are expected to be deposited into Provincial Account-I before being made available to RUDA through a supplementary grant during the 2026,27 financial year, subject to the agreed financing terms. The arrangement constitutes a financing or loan facility rather than a direct budgetary allocation. Details regarding repayment terms, pricing, disbursement schedules and other financial conditions have not yet been publicly disclosed. Separately, the government has restored more than Rs 2.751 billion in financing specifically linked to flood protection projects along the Ravi River. The restoration of the funds is expected to ensure continuity of work on infrastructure considered essential for protecting development areas from flooding and managing the river system as the Ravi Riverfront programme progresses. Flood protection infrastructure is particularly important for RUDA’s development plans because significant portions of the project area are associated with the Ravi River and its floodplain. River training structures, engineered embankments, drainage systems and other flood management measures are therefore central to the long-term development of the area. RUDA’s procurement activity indicates that substantial river-related infrastructure works are already under way or being pursued, including river training works, barrages and embankment packages. The authority is also procuring infrastructure associated with the Right Promenade and other major components of the Ravi Riverfront development programme. However, details released regarding the latest Rs 15 billion financing do not provide project wise allocations, making it unclear how much funding will ultimately be directed towards individual development schemes or infrastructure packages. The financing therefore cannot, at this stage, be directly attributed to individual RUDA projects such as Chahar Bagh without further official clarification. Chahar Bagh Phase I is separately undergoing infrastructure development and procurement involving electrical works, smart services, the project’s entry area and bridge related works. While the latest financing is expected to strengthen RUDA’s overall financial capacity, no announcement has been made linking the Rs 15 billion facility to a new payment plan, possession schedule or specific financial package for Chahar Bagh allottees. Attention will now turn to the actual release and utilisation of the approved funds, particularly expenditure on river protection and associated infrastructure packages. The pace of disbursement and physical execution of the projects will determine how quickly the latest financial approvals translate into construction activity across the Ravi Riverfront development area.