Lahore: CDGL’s Rs 14.351 billion ‘non-development’ budget passed

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Rs 3.9 billion to be spent on ongoing development schemes

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Lahore District Assembly on Thursday passed a budget of Rs 14.351 billion without any development schemes for the fiscal year 2009-10, due to the ongoing pressure by the government to abolish the current local government (LG) system.

The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) would generate expected revenues of Rs 14.824 billion against the total expenditures of Rs 14.351 billion, saving an expected surplus of Rs 472.5 million. District Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood presented the budget while Naib Nazim Mian Idrees Hanif chaired the session.

The session and the budget speech were marred by exchange of hot words between the members associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PML-Quaid.

Last year: However, Rs 3.9 billion would be spent on the ongoing development schemes including Rs 16 million each on the revenue and literacy sectors and Rs 15 million on improving transportation facilities in the revised allocation of the budget. Major sums of Rs 2.147 billion and Rs 1.112 billion would be spent on infrastructure and education respectively.

The CDGL would spend Rs 77 million and Rs 65 million on health and agriculture sectors respectively, while Rs 42 million have been allocated for public facilities and Rs 39 million for buildings in the budget.

However, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) did not present their annual budgets in the district assembly as had happened in past.

While talking to reporters, Mehmood said the budget documents of these departments should be presented to the district nazim under the rules but might have been delayed due to the unknown reasons.

Members of the district council congratulated Mehmood for successfully completing his second term in office. He cannot contest elections for the same slot thrice under the constitution. He also distributed souvenirs among the members in recognition of their services as member of the district council.

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