Punjab Province

Lahore | Renews Pakistan
The Punjab government has enforced a new comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the protection, restoration and management of historic heritage across the province.
The government has implemented the Walled City of Lahore Authority Amendment Act 2026, under which the jurisdiction of the Walled City of Lahore Authority has been expanded beyond Lahore to the entire province of Punjab.
Following the new law, all historic walled cities, heritage areas, ancient buildings and historic properties across Punjab will come under one legal system and a strengthened authority. The move is aimed at protecting heritage sites from illegal construction, encroachments, unregulated repairs, commercial pressure and activities that may damage their original cultural identity.
Under the amended law, the Lahore Heritage Area Revival Board has also been established, while the Chief Minister of Punjab will serve as the chairperson of the authority. The authority will be empowered to oversee restoration of historic buildings, planning of heritage areas, monitoring of development works and legal action against violations.
According to the new framework, violations related to historic heritage may result in fines of up to Rs 2 million. All offences under the law have been declared non bailable. Officials say the new legislation will help establish a stronger and more coordinated system for heritage protection in Punjab and preserve the original identity of the province’s historic cities and cultural landmarks.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s flagship housing programme, “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar,” has achieved a major milestone in providing interest free housing loans to low income families. According to the Housing Department, more than 166,000 interest free loans have been disbursed under the programme, while over Rs 215.76 billion in financial assistance has been provided to eligible citizens for house construction.
A spokesperson for the Housing Department said that 105,594 houses have so far been completed under the programme, enabling thousands of families to move into safe and dignified homes. In addition, construction work is currently underway on 28,453 houses, while work on another 32,048 houses is expected to begin soon to help more deserving families realise the dream of owning a home.
The department said that more than Rs 14.5 billion has also been successfully recovered from the loans disbursed under the programme, reflecting transparency, effective implementation and the confidence of beneficiaries in the initiative.
According to official figures, 1,211,954 applications have so far been received for the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme, demonstrating strong public trust and growing popularity of the scheme among low income groups. The Punjab government maintains that the programme will continue to expand access to interest free housing finance and advance public welfare objectives across the province.

Lahore: [ReNews Pakistan]
An important meeting of the Lahore Development Authority’s Planning and Design Committee was held under the chairmanship of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq. The meeting, the last of the current financial year, reviewed in detail the cases submitted through the e Biz portal.
During the meeting, directors of Town Planning from different LDA zones briefed the committee on cases related to their respective areas. The committee approved or rejected the submitted cases in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. Cases related to petrol pumps, schools, rehabilitation centres, medical centres and other categories were taken up for consideration.
LDA DG Tahir Farooq directed that land use compliance must be ensured in all cases approved by the Planning and Design Committee. He further instructed that setback areas must be cleared in all approved cases.
He also stressed that recovery of illegal penalty fees must be ensured before the approval of cases so that complete compliance with rules and regulations can be maintained.
Chief Town Planner One, Chief Town Planner Two and a representative of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore attended the meeting. Representatives of LDA, MCL, TEPA, WASA and the Deputy Commissioner’s Office were also present.
Directors from all zones of the LDA Town Planning Wing also participated in the meeting and presented their views on different cases.