Lahore: LDA approves Rs 13.9bn budget

[Naveed Yaseen]

* LDA will spend Rs 1.41bn on housing schemes for govt employees
* Earmarks Rs 500m for construction of Lahore Tower on Jail Road

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA)’s governing body on Monday approved Rs 13.88 billion budget for its subordinate agencies – Water and Sanitary Agency (WASA) and Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA).

District Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood chaired the body meeting. The meeting was told that a collective income of LDA, WASA and TEPA had been estimated at Rs 13.88 billion against expected expenditures of Rs 12.71 billion including Rs 7.74 billion for development works. Total income of LDA has been estimated at Rs 8.07 billion against the expected expenditures of Rs 5.64 billion. This amount also includes developmental expenditure of Rs 3.9 billion.

For the development of housing sector, the LDA will spend Rs 1.41 billion on housing schemes for government employees. It will also spend Rs 220 million to complete construction work in other housing schemes. The LDA will spend Rs 1 billion on construction of new buildings. Rs 500 million has been earmarked for the construction of Lahore Tower on Jail Road. Other schemes include construction of a degree college in Quaid-e-Azam Town with a cost of Rs 75 million, LDA Urology Hospital with a cost of Rs 50 million and completion of LDA office in Johar Town with a cost of Rs 70 million.

A new programme for remodeling and maintenance of roads, Lahore Rehabilitation Programme, will be launched at a cost of Rs 500 million. These projects include construction of Madar-e-Millat Road from Pindi Stop Maulana Shaukat Ali Road to Ghazi Chowk College Road, Quaid-e-Azam Town at a cost of Rs 325 million, improvement of a 45-metre wide main road from Southern Bypass to Shadi Wall, MA Johar Town at a cost of Rs 18 million, improvement and carpeting of internal roads in blocks P, R, and M in MA Johar Town at a cost of Rs 18 million, road from Butt Chowk College Road to WASA Tanki No 4, Quaid-e-Azam Town at a cost of Rs 21 million, widening and carpeting of road in block Q, Model Town Extension at a cost of Rs 4.9 million, improvement and carpeting of 20-metre wide road from Main Boulevard, Sabzazar to Bund Road at a cost of Rs 9.980 million, improvement and carpeting of Main Boulevard Gulshan-e-Ravi from Multan Road to Bund Road at a cost of Rs 30 million, widening and improvement of the road from Neelam Block A-I Town to Multan Road at a cost of Rs 40 million, widening of Main Boulevard Mustafa Town at a cost of Rs 8 million and road from Canal Bank Road to Tajpura Housing Scheme at a cost of Rs 28 million.

LDA will also spend Rs 430 million for improvement of internal roads in various housing schemes. Development works in Lahore Press Club Housing Scheme would cost Rs 200 million whereas provision of basic amenities in katchi abadis would cost Rs 50 million during the fiscal year 2008-2009.

The LDA will install/replace 69 tube wells across the city at a cost of Rs 360 million.

The TEPA will have 2.12 billion at its disposal. The new schemes include rehabilitation of Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road from Y Junction New Garden Town to Maulana Shaukat Ali Road at a cost of Rs 10.37 million, construction of Southern Bypass Road from Ferozepur Road to College Road (Old Ring Road) at a cost of Rs 10 million and construction of Structure Road from Expo Centre MA Johar Town to Valencia Town at a cost of Rs 30 million.

LDA Director General Irfan Ali, town nazims Mian Javed Ali, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf, Yousaf Ahad Malik, Khalid Javed Ghurki, Sardar Kamil Umar and Shafqatunnissa Begum, WASA MD Dr Javed Iqbal, LDA Additional Director General Ahmad Ghazali and representatives of the provincial and local governments, Housing and Finance departments also attended the meeting.

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