Punjab Province

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
Under the Punjab government’s “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” programme, interest free housing loans have so far been disbursed to 180,297 families for the construction of their homes, with the total value of loans distributed reaching Rs 232.09 billion.
Director General PHATA Sikandar Zeeshan met Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Bilal Yasin and gave him a detailed briefing on the progress of the programme, including the status of applications, loan disbursements and ongoing house construction.
According to the briefing, the programme’s online portal has so far received 1,456,664 applications, of which 1,079,224 have completed the scrutiny process.
Bilal Yasin said that among the families who received loans under the programme, 109,946 have completed construction of their homes, while work on another 39,943 houses is currently underway.
A total of Rs232.09 billion in loans has been disbursed under the programme so far. In addition, Rs19.561 billion has been allocated for the provision of loans to another 13,314 families.
The housing minister said the provision of interest free loans to deserving families was an important step towards helping low income households secure their own homes.
He added that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would soon begin disbursing loans to applicants from the initial phase of the programme. Authorities in all districts have also been directed to ensure the timely distribution of loans to eligible families.
Bilal Yasin further instructed officials to accelerate implementation of the programme while ensuring transparency and merit throughout the application scrutiny and loan disbursement process.

Lahore : Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan
The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has intensified its crackdown on illegal commercial buildings and commercial fee defaulters, sealing 63 properties and demolishing five unauthorised structures across different parts of the city and areas under its jurisdiction.
Acting on the directives of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq, teams from the Town Planning Wing carried out operations on LDA City Road, Shahid Town, Pak Arab Housing Scheme, Gulberg, Faisal Town, Canal Road, Shadman and Poonch Road.
LDA teams demolished five illegal structures during operations on LDA City Road, Shahid Town and Pak Arab Housing Scheme.
In Gulberg and Faisal Town, 25 properties were sealed over unauthorised commercial use, while another 38 properties were sealed on Canal Road, Shadman and Poonch Road for illegal commercial activity and non payment of commercialisation fees.
The sealed properties included private schools, colleges, academies, halls, salons, cafes, restaurants, food outlets, grocery stores, clinics, hardware stores, electrical stores, pharmacies, shops, car showrooms and offices, among other commercial establishments.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Chief Town Planner One Asad uz Zaman and Chief Town Planner Two Azhar Ali.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said enforcement action against illegal commercial buildings and properties defaulting on commercial fees would continue withouty discrimination.

Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan
Rawalpindi’s development programme for the 2026-27 fiscal year has suffered a major setback as severe financial constraints have forced authorities to cancel hundreds of development schemes and shelve several major road and transport infrastructure projects proposed for the district.
A total of 286 development schemes have been cancelled in Rawalpindi district, while the number of dropped schemes across Rawalpindi Division has reached 360. Development projects proposed by the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and District Council have also been cancelled as authorities reassess spending priorities amid limited financial resources.
The financial pressure has also delayed finalisation of Rawalpindi’s District Development Plan for fiscal year 2026-27, leaving several planned infrastructure interventions outside the current development framework.
Among the major projects affected is the proposed Murree Road Signal Free Corridor, which was expected to improve traffic movement along one of Rawalpindi’s busiest urban arteries. Plans to expand service lanes between Liaquat Bagh and Chandni Chowk have also been dropped.
Several proposed underpasses have suffered the same fate. These include underpasses at Chandni Chowk, the Murree Road and Rawal Road intersection and Murree Chowk, as well as a proposed underpass intended to connect Double Road with Ninth Avenue.
The government has also shelved the Rs 800 million Leh Expressway project and a proposed multi storey parking plaza at Liaquat Bagh. The parking facility was intended to address growing parking pressure in the congested commercial areas surrounding Liaquat Bagh and Murree Road.
The Rawalpindi Development Authority had proposed major development projects worth around Rs 8 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. However, the projects were excluded from both the Annual Development Programme and District Development Plan because of funding limitations and stringent requirements for approval of their PC-Is.
The cancellation of the projects could affect planned improvements to Rawalpindi’s urban road network, particularly along Murree Road and other heavily congested corridors where growing traffic volumes have increased pressure on existing infrastructure.
Financial constraints are being compounded by a sharp increase in construction costs. Prices of key building materials, including steel, cement, iron bars, sand and gravel, have risen significantly, while labour and transportation expenses have also increased.
As a result, estimated costs of several development projects have reportedly risen by between 40 and 50 percent, making it increasingly difficult for authorities to implement schemes within previously calculated budgets.
The escalation in construction costs also means that postponing the projects may make their eventual implementation more expensive. Projects prepared on the basis of earlier cost estimates may no longer remain financially or technically viable under existing feasibility studies and planning documents.
If the government decides to revive the shelved schemes during fiscal year 2027-28, authorities are expected to undertake fresh feasibility studies and prepare revised PC-Is reflecting updated construction costs and technical requirements.
Preparing new feasibility studies and project documents could itself require expenditure running into millions of rupees before physical construction can begin.
The latest development highlights the growing impact of fiscal pressures and construction cost inflation on Rawalpindi’s infrastructure pipeline, with several projects aimed at easing congestion and improving urban mobility now facing an uncertain timeline.