Punjab Province

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has handed over an apartment in Rawalpindi to provide accommodation for minority students. Located on Seventh Road, the apartment will house 12 students, who will receive free accommodation and all essential facilities, according to the board.

ETPB Secretary Nasir Mushtaq handed over the keys to the students on the instructions of Chairman Qamar-uz-Zaman. Rawalpindi Administrator Yasir Asghar Monga was also present. Mushtaq said the initiative aims to ease the housing difficulties students face during their studies and give them a better environment in which to focus on their education.

The board said the welfare of minority communities, educational development and provision of basic facilities were among its priorities. The Ministry of Religious Affairs says the ETPB was established in 1960 to oversee evacuee properties linked to religious, charitable and educational trusts. The board had earlier approved Rs 5 million for the Baba Guru Nanak Scholarship Programme for Hindu and Sikh students. Under the programme, eligible students receive a monthly scholarship of Rs 10,000, according to the board.

The Punjab government has linked payment of the garbage tax, also known as the sanitation fee, to the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) required for property transactions. Owners with outstanding dues will not be issued an NOC to sell or transfer their property, potentially halting the transaction.

Excise officials said bill distribution began across Punjab, including Lahore, on September 1, with around 1.4 million bills delivered so far. More than Rs 24 million has been collected over the past two months. The distribution of the remaining first-quarter bills is under way, while second-quarter bills are scheduled to be issued from January 1.

Punjab has around five million property units. According to officials, nearly 20 per cent are located in housing societies and towns where administrations already charge residents for sanitation and waste collection. These areas will be exempt from the government’s garbage tax. Residents can also obtain their bills online by entering their property number on the Excise Department’s website. Reports say the sanitation fee varies according to a property’s use and size.

The monthly charge for residential properties is Rs 300 for plots of up to five marlas, Rs 500 for five to 10 marlas, Rs 1,000 for 10 to 20 marlas, Rs 2,000 for 20 to 40 marlas and Rs 5,000 for properties larger than 40 marlas. Commercial properties are charged between Rs 500 and Rs 3,000 a month, depending on the size of the business. Previously, property owners generally had to clear their property tax dues to obtain an NOC. Under the new requirement, they must also pay any applicable sanitation fee before seeking clearance. The government says the fee will support the province’s cleanliness programme.

The Punjab Horticulture Authority’s jurisdiction has been extended to all 41 districts of the province, establishing an administrative framework for the upkeep of green spaces across Punjab.

Director General Ahmad Usman Javed said in a statement on Saturday that notifications had been issued to establish district horticulture agencies in 20 districts. They include Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Chakwal, Attock, Layyah, Rajanpur, Kasur, Pakpattan, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh, Lodhran, Vehari, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Talagang, Kot Addu, Taunsa and Wazirabad.
Javed said extending the authority’s reach across all districts had expanded the administrative arrangements for maintaining green spaces throughout the province.

The statement did not provide details about the establishment of agencies in the remaining districts or any further steps in that regard.