Punjab Province

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.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq visited Pine Axes and Pine Executive in LDA City and reviewed ongoing development work at both projects. He said Pine Axes, located at a prominent site on Pine Avenue, would become a new commercial centre for the city. Pine Executive, he added, was being developed as a residential project offering one-kanal plots.

Officials briefed the DG that public interest in both projects was increasing. Plots in Pine Axes and Pine Executive have been launched in the market. The first phase includes 8-marla and 2-kanal commercial plots in Pine Axes, as well as one-kanal residential plots in Pine Executive.

Tahir Farooq said the plots, located on Pine Avenue, would be allotted through balloting on a two-year instalment plan. The deadline to apply for the balloting is December 3. Applicants can submit their applications online through the LDA website.

Following the visit, Farooq chaired a meeting on development work and land acquisition in LDA City. Additional DG UP, the LDA chief engineer, the director of LDA City, Chief Town Planner-II, the director of auctions, the director of engineering for LDA City and other relevant officials attended.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed deputy commissioners across the province to enforce a complete ban on the burning of crop residue, saying the practice is adding to worsening air pollution and smog.
She issued the order during a high-level meeting with deputy commissioners from all districts in Lahore on Thursday.

“Punjab is confronting a serious issue of rising smog levels, and burning of crop residue is adding further to air pollution,” she said. The chief minister said the provincial government was committed to making Punjab an ideal province, with district-by-district beautification plans underway. She expressed concern over delays in implementing the plans in some areas. She criticised the Okara deputy commissioner for failing to give adequate attention to crop-residue burning in the district.

Maryam ordered the formation of special squads to improve governance and road maintenance. She also directed deputy commissioners to repair water filtration plants in their districts and instructed deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners to visit hospitals daily and ensure medical facilities were available to patients.

During the meeting, Shoaib Mirza, adviser to the chief minister on the Punjab Performance Management Unit, presented a performance report covering Gujranwala, Attock, Bahawalpur, Murree, Chakwal, Jhelum, Layyah and Sahiwal. The chief minister also called for Punjab to be made free of encroachments and stressed coordinated operations to address the issue.