Lahore Division

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
The Punjab government is considering an additional allocation of Rs 39 billion for the next phase of its model villages programme under the "Maryam Nawaz Ka Sohna Punjab" initiative, as the province moves to upgrade hundreds of rural settlements with modern civic and municipal facilities.
The proposal was reviewed during a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat, chaired by Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique. Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmad, Special Secretary Shahid Zaman Lak and other senior officials attended the meeting.
During the session, the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company briefed participants on progress made under the model villages project. Officials informed the meeting that 485 villages across Punjab are being developed under the programme. The first phase aims to provide modern municipal services to around four million people living in selected rural areas.
Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique directed the authorities concerned to take all necessary measures to complete the first phase of the project by December 2026. He said the initiative was part of the provincial government’s wider plan to improve living standards in rural communities and bring basic civic infrastructure closer to the people.
According to the details shared during the meeting, the project covers 48 villages in Bahawalpur division, 55 in Gujranwala, 63 in Multan, 39 in Dera Ghazi Khan, 41 in Sargodha, 44 in Sahiwal, 51 in Gujrat, 50 in Lahore division, 58 in Rawalpindi and 36 in Faisalabad.
Under the model villages programme, all streets in the selected villages will be paved, while traditional ponds will also be restored. The development package also includes plans for children’s parks and installation of streetlights to improve public spaces, mobility and safety in rural communities.
Zeeshan Rafique instructed officials to avoid unnecessary damage to streets that had already been paved. He said development work should be carried out with proper planning so that existing infrastructure is protected and public funds are used efficiently.
The minister also directed that water supply schemes should only be included in villages that are actually facing water shortages. He said the project must be implemented according to local needs instead of applying the same development model across all areas without assessment.
Officials said the programme is expected to help improve sanitation, mobility, public lighting and basic municipal management in rural Punjab. The initiative is also aimed at reducing the rural urban service gap by providing facilities in villages that are normally associated with urban settlements.
Zeeshan Rafique said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had directed that the scope of the model villages programme be expanded to 7,500 villages in future phases. He added that the experience and challenges of the first phase should be carefully reviewed before launching the next stages of the programme.
The minister said lessons learned from the initial phase would help the government improve planning, execution and service delivery in future phases. He stressed that the model villages initiative should be implemented in a way that creates visible improvements in the daily lives of rural residents and supports long term development across Punjab.

Lahore: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Lahore Development Authority has intensified its operations against illegal commercial buildings and commercial fee defaulters, sealing 191 properties during a large scale operation in different parts of the city.
According to the LDA, the actions were carried out by the Town Planning Wing on the directions of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq. The operation was conducted in Gulberg, New Garden Town, Samsani Road Johar Town, Canal Road, Gulshan Ravi, New Muslim Town, Allama Iqbal Town and Sabzazar, as well as other LDA controlled areas.
Officials said 28 properties were sealed in Gulberg and New Garden Town over illegal commercial use and non payment of commercial fees, while action was taken against 85 properties on Samsani Road in Johar Town. Similarly, 43 properties were sealed on Canal Road, in Gulshan Ravi and New Muslim Town.
LDA teams also sealed 35 properties during a recovery operation in Allama Iqbal Town and Sabzazar. In total, 191 properties were sealed during the operation.
The sealed properties included private schools, colleges, academies, restaurants, food points, beauty salons, clinics, grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies, auto workshops, shops, offices and other commercial establishments.
The operation was supervised by Chief Town Planner One Asaduz Zaman and Chief Town Planner Two Azhar Ali. LDA officials said indiscriminate action against illegal commercial buildings and commercial fee defaulters would continue.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said illegal commercial activities, violations of building laws and non payment of dues would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
He said all relevant wings had been mobilised to ensure implementation of LDA regulations.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lieutenant General Retired Nazir Ahmed has said that comprehensive and historic reforms will be introduced to promote transparency, protect investors and improve ease of doing business in the real estate sector.
According to him, effective measures are being taken to eliminate fraud, file culture and non transparent transactions, so that the real estate sector can be brought under a transparent, organised and reliable system.
Addressing a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the NAB chairman said that in future real estate projects, the transfer of plots and ownership will be carried out through a regulator. He said cash transactions would be discouraged and all payments would preferably be made through banking channels, enabling better protection of investors’ rights and complete tracking of financial transactions.
According to the NAB chairman, no housing scheme will be allowed to sell more plots than the actual number available. Each plot will have a proper identification record, which will help curb issues such as fake files, multiple sales of the same plot and illegal booking. He said NAB was working to make the accountability process more effective, transparent and business friendly.
The meeting was also addressed by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Faheem ur Rehman Sehgal and NAB Lahore Director General Mirza Faran Baig. On the occasion, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Lahore Chamber and NAB to promote mutual cooperation. The NAB chairman also inaugurated the NAB Executive Facilitation Office established at the Lahore Chamber and planted a tree on the chamber premises.
The NAB chairman said NAB considers the business community an engine of growth for Pakistan’s economy and will provide every possible support for the promotion of business activities within the limits of the law. He said NAB’s purpose is not to create unnecessary difficulties for the business community, but to ensure the prevention of corruption, fraud and illegal financial activities.
Lahore Chamber President Faheem ur Rehman Sehgal said transparency, justice and the rule of law are the foundation of a strong economy. He stressed the need to further improve governance in public institutions and said the business community needs facilitation, confidence and continuity of policies.
The NAB chairman further said that work is under way on memorandums of understanding with different countries, including matters related to prevention of money laundering and information sharing. According to him, positive progress has been made with Saudi Arabia, while hurdles still remain with some countries.
He said matters related to funds being transferred to major financial centres, including Singapore and Hong Kong, were also under consideration, and efforts were being made to stop the flow of illegal financial transfers.
The NAB chairman said investment had started coming into the real estate and other sectors, and if this trend continued, the country’s economy would improve.