Punjab Province

The Punjab government has approved Rs 6.881 billion for the revised second phase of the MPA Hostel in Lahore, a facility intended to provide accommodation for members of the provincial assembly.

The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved the scheme at its 13th meeting on Friday, chaired by Planning and Development Board Chairman Dr Naeem Rauf. The hostel project was among development schemes approved across sectors under a package valued at Rs 126.668 billion.

The latest approval raises the project’s estimated cost by about Rs 584 million from the Rs 6.297 billion approved for the revised Phase II scheme in April 2025. The available reports do not specify what changes or additional work account for the revised estimate, nor do they give a new completion date.

The hostel scheme is part of wider development and modernisation work connected to the Punjab Assembly. In June, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported that Rs 2.52 billion had been proposed for the hostel project in the 2026–27 budget year; that figure was a proposed annual allocation, while the Rs 6.881 billion approved by the PDWP is the revised total cost of the scheme.

Other projects in Friday’s package included a Provincial Traffic Management and Command Centre at Qurban Police Lines in Lahore, a 50-bed hospital in Bhurban, and infrastructure improvements in multiple cities. The scale of the package places the hostel expansion among a broader set of provincial development priorities.

The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved two revised development schemes for Murree with a combined estimated cost of Rs5.57 billion: a 50-bed hospital in Bhurban and the remodelling of Jhika Gali Chowk.

The approvals were made at the PDWP’s 13th meeting, chaired by Planning and Development Board Chairman Dr Naeem Rauf. The hospital scheme was approved at Rs1.507 billion, while the road project was approved at Rs4.063 billion. Together, the Murree schemes are part of a wider package of 19 development projects approved at an estimated cost of Rs126.668 billion across Punjab.

Hospital plan aims to expand local healthcare
The Bhurban project is intended to establish a 50-bed hospital in the hill station. Its approval comes amid wider efforts to improve public services in Murree, a major tourist destination that sees heavier demand during holiday and peak travel periods.
A provincial briefing earlier this year also included a 50-bed Bhurban hospital in the Murree Development Plan. The government’s programme covers municipal services, road rehabilitation, tourist facilities and other improvements in Murree and adjoining areas.

Jhika Gali work targets congestion and access
The PDWP approved the revised scheme for remodelling Jhika Gali Chowk at Rs4.063 billion. The junction is an important point in Murree’s road network, and previous reporting on its development plan described proposed widening and additional slip lanes towards Barian Road and Kohala Bridge. The work was intended to ease traffic congestion and address slope stability concerns.

The revised approvals add to Punjab’s ongoing development activity in Murree, where road connectivity and public amenities are among the stated priorities of the broader development programme. The latest reports confirm the approved costs, but do not specify completion dates or a construction timetable for these two schemes.

A meeting on the Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA) upcoming balloting and auction was held under the chairmanship of Director General Tahir Farooq. Participants were briefed on the Pine Axes and Pine Executive projects in LDA City.

The DG said Pine Axes, located at a prime site on Pine Avenue, would become a new commercial centre for the city. He said a residential project featuring one-kanal plots was being developed at Pine Executive. In the first phase, 8-marla and 2-kanal commercial plots at Pine Axes, as well as one-kanal residential plots at Pine Executive, have been offered to the market. The plots will be allotted through balloting, with payments spread over two years. The deadline to apply for the Pine Axes and Pine Executive balloting is December 3. Applications can be submitted online through the LDA website.

The DG reviewed progress on development work at both projects. The Director of Auctions briefed the meeting on Lahore Technology Park’s development and its upcoming auction. Commercial plots measuring 8 marla, 15 marla and one kanal at the park will be auctioned at Expo Centre on December 3.

LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed, Additional DG (UP), Chief IT Officer, Chief Town Planners I and II, Director of Auctions, Director of Engineering and Director of LDA City attended the meeting.