Punjab Province

Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan
Rawalpindi city is set to have two mayors and four deputy mayors after being divided into two municipal towns under the finalized local government delimitation ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The final delimitation notification has been issued after objections to the proposed boundaries were rejected, formally establishing Municipal Rawal Town and Municipal Potohar Town.
Under the new structure, Rawal Town will comprise 41 union councils, compared with 46 previously, while Potohar Town will have 33, down from 36.
Murree Road will serve as the boundary between the two municipal towns. Areas towards Raja Bazaar will fall within Rawal Town, while Dhoke Khabba and Sadiqabad will become part of Potohar Town.
The changes form part of a broader restructuring of local government across Rawalpindi district. The Rawalpindi District Council has been dissolved and its areas redistributed among six tehsil councils. Two new tehsil councils—Saddar and Cantt—and a new municipal committee at Daultala have also been created.
Rawalpindi city will consequently be administered through four local government areas: Rawal Town, Potohar Town, Tehsil Council Saddar and Tehsil Council Cantt.
Saddar Tehsil Council will comprise 22 union councils and Cantt Tehsil Council 29. The total number of union councils across these four Rawalpindi areas will reach 125, compared with 82 previously.
At the district level, Rawalpindi will now have 17 local government bodies, comprising two municipal towns, five municipal committees, six tehsil councils and four cantonment boards.
The municipal committees include Gujar Khan with six union councils, Taxila with five, Kahuta and Kallar Syedan with four each, and Daultala with two.
The six tehsil councils are Gujar Khan with 36 union councils, Kahuta with 12, Kallar Syedan and Taxila with 13 each, Saddar with 22 and Cantt with 29.
Following Murree’s elevation as a separate district, Rawalpindi district now has four cantonment boards—Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Wah and Taxila—compared with five previously.
The final delimitation was approved by the three-member Delimitation Authority comprising District Election Commissioner-I Sajid Rathore, District Election Commissioner-II Safia Akbar and Local Government Director Shazia Mumtaz, clearing the administrative framework for the forthcoming local government elections.

Lahore : ReNews Pakistan
The Lahore Development Authority has sealed a total of 80 properties across different parts of the city in a major operation against illegal commercial use and non-payment of commercialisation fees.
Acting on the directions of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq, teams from the Town Planning Wing carried out enforcement operations in areas falling under the authority’s controlled jurisdiction. The action covered Gulberg, Model Town Extension, Canal Road, Shadman, New Muslim Town, Poonch Road and Mustafa Town, where residential and commercial properties were inspected for regulatory violations.
According to the LDA, 25 properties were sealed in Gulberg and Model Town Extension for being used for unauthorised commercial purposes.
Another 47 properties were sealed on Canal Road, in Shadman, New Muslim Town and Poonch Road over illegal commercial use and failure to pay outstanding commercialisation fees.
In a separate recovery operation in Mustafa Town, Town Planning Wing teams sealed eight additional properties for non-payment of dues, bringing the total number of sealed properties to 80.
The LDA said the sealed premises included private schools, clinics, beauty salons, cafés, restaurants, food outlets, grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies, shops, showrooms, offices and other commercial establishments.
Officials said action was taken against properties where commercial activities were being carried out in violation of the approved land use or where owners had failed to clear outstanding commercialisation charges.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Chief Town Planner-I Asad-uz-Zaman, with teams from the Town Planning Wing carrying out simultaneous enforcement actions in different areas of the city.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said indiscriminate action against illegal commercial buildings and properties with outstanding commercialisation fees would continue across LDA-controlled areas.
He directed the relevant wings to ensure strict enforcement of building and commercialisation regulations and to continue action against violations without discrimination.

Lahore : ReNews Pakistan
The Lahore Development Authority’s Governing Body has approved a combined budget of Rs 88.613 billion for LDA and TEPA for fiscal year 2026-27, while setting a revenue target of Rs 47 billion for the authority during the current financial year.
The meeting also approved several major initiatives, including the launch of a new Pine Sector in LDA City, development of commercial plots for a proposed tech park near Arfa Karim Tower, and the introduction of maintenance charges in three LDA housing schemes.
The sixth meeting of the LDA Governing Body was chaired by LDA Vice Chairman Mian Marghoob Ahmad. Parliamentary Secretary for Housing Barrister Sultan Bajwa, WASA Vice Chairman Chaudhry Shahbaz, LDA Director General Tahir Farooq and senior officials from relevant departments attended the meeting.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq briefed the Governing Body on various agenda items.
The meeting approved the combined Rs88.613 billion budget for LDA and TEPA for FY2026-27. A separate budget of Rs 3.5 billion was approved for TEPA, while Rs 10 billion has been earmarked by the Punjab government as a loan for Structure Plan roads and Rs 6.3 billion for Annual Development Programme schemes.
A total of Rs 12.5 billion has been allocated for development works in LDA City, Rs 13.5 billion for sustainable development and urban regeneration, and Rs 4 billion for LDA Avenue One.
The Governing Body set a revenue target of Rs 17 billion for Town Planning during the current fiscal year. A further Rs19.2 billion revenue target has been set under Sales and Allotment, including Rs 15 billion expected from LDA City alone.
The meeting also approved proposed amendments to the LDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2019.
The Governing Body approved a pilot project to improve cleanliness and other municipal services in LDA Avenue One, Jubilee Town and LDA Enclave through the introduction of maintenance charges.
Maintenance charges will apply to residential and commercial properties measuring three, five, seven and 10 marlas, as well as one kanal, in the three schemes. However, LDA will provide the services free of charge for the first two months.
The meeting also approved a plan to develop and market plots for a tech park on 118 kanals of land along Ferozepur Road, adjacent to Arfa Karim Tower. The proposed LDA Tech Park will offer commercial plots measuring one kanal, 15 marlas and eight marlas.
The Governing Body also approved the launch of a new Pine Sector in LDA City, which will include commercial plots of different sizes as well as one-kanal residential plots.
Officials also gave a detailed briefing on LDA City’s revenue generation plan, while approval was granted for the installation of solar-powered streetlights in different blocks of the scheme.
The Governing Body further approved an allocation of Rs100 million during the current fiscal year for initiatives being undertaken jointly by LDA and UNICEF to make Lahore a child-friendly city.
Several agenda items relating to the LDA Sales and Allotment Directorate were also approved.
The Governing Body appreciated the performance of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq and his team in revenue generation during the previous fiscal year. According to officials, LDA achieved a record Rs 32 billion in revenue last year, the highest in its history.
The meeting was also attended by Technical Member Akbar Sheikh, Technical Member Abdul Hannan and representatives of the Finance, Housing and Local Government departments, WASA and the Commissioner’s Office.
Additional Directors General for Housing, Headquarters and Urban Planning, Chief Engineer-I, Chief Town Planners, the Chief Metropolitan Planner, and directors from Finance, Auction, LDA City, TEPA and Housing also attended the meeting.