Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq visited the under-construction Neela Gumbad parking plaza and reviewed progress on the development work. The authority says 90% of the project has been completed, while finishing work is underway across all three basement levels. During the visit, TEPA Chief Engineer Iqrar Hussain and the project director briefed the LDA chief on the project’s progress. Farooq inspected work on the plaza’s upper-level seating area and reviewed samples of the lights and tiles proposed for installation. He also examined the ongoing finishing work in the three basements. He directed officials to asphalt the link road between Mall Road and the parking plaza and expedite installation of the parking system. He also called for faster completion of painting, flooring and other construction work connected with the project. Farooq instructed the project director and contractor to submit daily progress reports. Officials from TEPA and NESPAK, along with the contractor and other relevant officers, were also present.

Lahore | ReNews National Desk The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has signed a Rs 133.18 billion contract with the PowerChina–IKAN joint venture for hydro-mechanical works at the Diamer-Basha Dam Project. The agreement, signed on October 24, 2026, at WAPDA House in Lahore, covers the HM-1 package, which includes equipment and steel structures required to regulate water flows through the dam and its associated facilities. Diamer-Basha Dam Chief Engineer and Project Director Arif Ali signed the agreement on behalf of WAPDA, while Ling Jianke represented the PowerChina–IKAN joint venture. Under the contract, the joint venture will manufacture, supply and install hydro-mechanical equipment, including water-control gates, hydraulic steel structures, steel lining, hoisting systems, pumping systems and associated electrical equipment. According to WAPDA, the equipment will be installed at flushing tunnels on both banks of the dam, power intakes and outlets. These components will regulate water movement and support the operational systems of the project. The signing ceremony was attended by WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed (Retd), members responsible for finance, water and power, the chief executive officer of Diamer Basha Development Company, representatives of project consultants and a delegation led by the chairman of PowerChina International Group Limited. The Diamer-Basha Dam is under construction across the River Indus, approximately 40 kilometres downstream of Chilas. According to WAPDA, the dam will have a gross water-storage capacity of 8.1 million acre-feet and an installed electricity-generation capacity of 4,500 megawatts upon completion. The authority describes the project as a federal priority intended to strengthen Pakistan's water, food and energy security. The HM-1 agreement places a major package of hydro-mechanical works under a confirmed contract, covering the manufacture, delivery and installation of equipment essential to the dam's operations. However, the signing does not establish a revised completion date for the overall project or confirm when electricity generation will begin. The contract represents a defined stage in the project's implementation, with equipment installation requiring coordination with the dam's ongoing civil construction works.

Lahore | Riaz Hussain, Chief Reporter, ReNews Pakistan Plot numbers have been allotted to successful candidates in the sixth draw for commercial and residential plots, held on September 9 on the directions of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq. A total of 68 candidates who had paid a 20% down payment were allotted plot numbers. The computerised draw for the allotment of plot numbers was held at the LDA Sports Complex in Johar Town. It included 25 commercial plots measuring four marlas in LDA City Business Bay, 30 five-marla commercial plots in LDA Avenue One’s Commercial Zone, and 13 five-marla residential plots in Johar Town’s Block K. According to the LDA, the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) conducted the draw transparently using pseudocode. Successful candidates can check their plot numbers on the LDA website, lda.gop.pk. Tahir Farooq congratulated the successful candidates and said the LDA was offering plots in its schemes on easy three-year instalments. A large number of citizens attended the draw ceremony.