Pindi uplift plan okayed
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has given in-principle approval to the Rawalpindi Development Plan, prioritising upgrades to the city's water supply and sewerage systems. The Water and Sanitation Agency's (WASA) managing director has been instructed to immediately prepare PC-1s for all proposed schemes.
This directive was issued during a joint meeting on Monday, chaired by the Punjab Secretary for Urban Development and Public Health Engineering, Noorul Amin Mengal. Officials from the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), WASA, Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), and Public Health Engineering attended the session.
The secretary emphasised the need for swift monsoon preparations and urged the early completion of the feasibility study for sourcing water from Daducha Dam to ensure a sustainable supply for Rawalpindi. He proposed building ground storage tanks in parks, following the Lahore model, to store rainwater for horticultural use, stressing that "every drop of water must be saved."
The secretary housing praised WASA for exceeding its revenue recovery target, collecting Rs2.6 billion against the assigned Rs2.3 billion, and called for an even higher target in the upcoming fiscal year.
WASA Managing Director, Muhammad Saleem Ashraf, shared that a comprehensive monsoon plan is already in place, including the expedited cleaning of 15 city drains and Nullah Leh. Staff training and sewer line maintenance have been completed, and five monsoon camps will be operational, backed by a central control room at WASA Headquarters.
To ensure an uninterrupted water supply during summer, 20 new tube wells are being installed, and additional intake from Rawal and Khanpur dams has been secured. Ongoing dam projects will soon add 12 MGD from Chahan Dam, 5 MGD from Rawal Dam, and 8 MGD from Khanpur Dam. The feasibility for the Daducha Dam, expected to provide 35 MGD, is set to conclude within two months.
During the meeting, the RDA director general gave progress updates on major projects, including the Ring Road and Nullah Leh schemes, which were highlighted for timely and transparent completion. PHA Director General, Ahmad Hassan Ranjha, also briefed the participants on citywide park beautification efforts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
7 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Punjab Assembly Speaker suspends 26 opposition members
The Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan on Saturday suspended 26 members of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for disrupting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's speech and causing chaos in the assembly session, according to Aaj News. The Assembly Secretariat confirmed that the suspension was issued under Rule 210(3) of the Assembly Rules, barring the members from attending the next 15 assembly sittings. During the session, opposition members shouted slogans, engaged in physical shoving, and tore official documents, violating the assembly's rules of conduct. The Speaker 'condemned' their behavior, saying such disorderly conduct damages the dignity and discipline of the House. He acknowledged that while protesting is a right of assembly members, it must follow the limits set by the Constitution and parliamentary procedures. The Speaker emphasized that maintaining order in the assembly is essential and will be strictly enforced. The suspended lawmakers include Malik Fahad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, SSyed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mahmood, Kaleem Ullah, Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Muhammad Ejaz Shafi, Sajjad Ahmad, and others. The suspension came after the opposition's loud protests disrupted the assembly during the Chief Minister's address, forcing the Speaker to take action to uphold the assembly's dignity and ensure smooth proceedings.
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Fixed gas charges jacked up by 50%
Listen to article The government on Friday increased the fixed charges on gas bills by 50% and also jacked up gas tariffs for non-residential consumers but deferred a decision on import of up to 500,000 metric tons of sugar due to a disagreement over huge subsidies. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, which took the decisions, also approved Rs2.6 trillion in supplementary grants for repayments of the domestic and foreign debts in the current fiscal year, ending on Monday. The ECC's meeting, which was held just three days before the start of the new fiscal year, underscores challenges that the Finance Ministry will keep facing in the new fiscal year 2025-26 due to competing demands for unallocated subsidies. "The ECC proposed adjustments in energy sector tariffs and decided to maintain gas prices to protect household consumers with only fixed charges re-adjusted in the domestic sector to recover the asset costs", according to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry after the ECC meeting. It added that the ECC allowed the price of gas for bulk consumers, power plants operating on natural gas and industry to be increased by an average value of around 10%. However, where the ECC did not change gas prices for residential consumers it significantly increased the fixed charges on the residential consumers by 50%. For the protected category of domestic consumers the fixed charges were increased by Rs200 to Rs600. In the non-protected category, for monthly consumption of up to 1.5 hm3, the fixed charges were increased from Rs1,000 to Rs1,500. Likewise, the fixed charges for consumption of over 2 hm3 were increased from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000. The prices were changed to meet a condition of the International Monetary Fund to biannually adjust the gas prices. The Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority last month determined the Estimated Revenue Requirements (ERR) for FY 2025-26 for both SNGPL and SSGCL. According to the determinations, SNGPL requires revenues of Rs534.5 billion and SSGCL requires revenues of Rs354.2 billion to sail through the FY 2025-26 respectively. The cumulative revenue requirements of both the Sui companies are Rs888.6 billion for the FY 2025-26. The law mandates the federal government to ensure that the consumer gas sale prices should not be less than the revenue requirement determined by the Authority. At the current notified consumer gas sale prices effective February 01, 2025 the estimated revenues of both Sui companies by end FY 2025-26 are Rs847.714 billion. The ECC approved to increase the gas prices for bulk consumers by 9% to Rs3160 per mmbtu. It jacked up the rates for power plants by 17% to Rs1230 and 7% for the industrial gas connections to Rs2300 per mmbtu. Some of the members of the ECC criticized giving guaranteed 24% return on assets to Sui companies, which discourage efforts to improve efficiency by reducing line losses. Sugar Import The ECC could not take a decision on a proposal of up to 500,000 sugar imports to meet the local shortage in future, caused by the export of 765,000 metric tons sugar by the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The ECC was told that inclusive of all taxes and duties, the imported sugar would cost Rs245 per kg, which is even higher than Rs190 local price. A member of the ECC said that the government has to give Rs85 per kg subsidy, which would require Rs42.5 billion supplementary grant in the next fiscal year. However, during the meeting the Secretary Finance said that he would neither provide subsidies nor he would seek the permission of the IMF for allowing such subsidies or waive off the taxes and duties at the import stage. Without duty and taxes, the import price at the port is Rs153 per kg. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar led committee has determined the need for the import of 750,000 metric tons of sugar due to anticipated shortages in the month of October and onwards. The ECC members urged to free the sugar market and maintain only strategic reserves of about 500,000 metric tons. An official handout of the Finance Ministry stated that the ECC considered a proposal brought on by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for import of sugar to stabilize the sugar prices. The ECC approved the proposal of the Ministry for constitution of a 10-member steering committee led by Federal Minister for MNFSR and including Federal Minister for Commerce, SAPM to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Finance Division, Chairman FBR and others to come back to the ECC with their recommendations on the matter, it added. Banks' subsidies The Finance Ministry stated that the ECC also discussed a summary by the Finance Division regarding changes in the home remittances incentive schemes. It said that the ECC tasked the State Bank of Pakistan and the Finance Division to propose and present a proper plan by 31st July to ECC, ensuring impact analysis and a roadmap for a properly-managed transition. The ECC was informed that the banks have demanded Rs200 billion claims on account of subsidies under the Pakistan Remittances Initiatives. The Finance Ministry has already discontinued the subsidy for the next fiscal year. The central bank representative told the ECC that the SBP cannot give any subsidy due to restrictions imposed by the IMF. Some of the members of the ECC objected to giving up to Rs6 per dollar subsidy, which was not benefiting the remitters and instead the money was going in the pockets of the commercial banks and the exchange companies. They urged instead to facilitate the manufacturing sector. Other decisions The ECC approved another Rs15.8 billion supplementary grant for the Ministry of Defence to cover the shortfall in admissible pay and allowances, in employees-related and non-employees related expenditures and clear the outstanding dues as part of the PM's Package for the martyrs of the recent Pak-India war. It approved another Rs5.5 billion supplementary grant for Strategic Plans Divisions as rupee cover for Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) during CFY 2024-25. The Cabinet body also considered a summary by the Finance Division for the launch of a risk coverage scheme for small farmers and under-served areas, and accorded in-principle approval to the proposal with instructions for further fine-tuning and incorporating in it additional safeguards before its planned launch on 14th August 2025. The ECC was told that the scheme would likely bring 750,000 new agricultural borrowers into the formal financial system and generate an incremental credit portfolio of Rs300 billion during its disbursement tenure of 3 years from FY 26 to FY 28. The budgetary requirement for meeting risk coverage and operational cost of the banks is estimated to be Rs37.5 billion, spread over five years.
Business Recorder
19 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Fulfilling IMF conditions was no easy task, says CM Maryam
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz stated that the Punjab government's decision not to impose a single new tax in the provincial budget is nothing short of a miracle. She emphasized that instead of introducing new taxes, the government expanded the tax net. She also announced that Punjab's domestic debt, which had persisted for the last 30 years, had been reduced to zero. Addressing the Punjab Assembly, CM Maryam Nawaz said fulfilling the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) conditions while meeting the province's constitutional responsibilities was no easy task. She remarked that running over 150 development projects and allocating Punjab's resources for public welfare made achieving the IMF's stringent surplus target extremely challenging—yet her administration succeeded. Maryam Nawaz highlighted that unlike previous governments, her administration did not merely announce projects but also implemented Punjab's largest-ever annual cash-backed development program. She revealed that last year's Annual Development Program (ADP) was worth Rs. 840 billion, but due to successful project execution and public demand, it was increased to over Rs. 1 trillion. Out of this, Rs. 1.013 trillion had already been spent on public welfare, marking the highest allocation in Punjab's development history. She noted that Punjab's fund utilization, previously at Rs. 585 billion, had now reached Rs. 1,100 billion. The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to the Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), acknowledging that their support was instrumental in these achievements. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz added that those who once called for the political ouster of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had now been sidelined themselves—not by others, but by their own poor performance. 'Those who chanted 'minus Nawaz' are now themselves 'minus.' Even Aleema Khan has acknowledged this,' she said, referring to recent remarks by Khan's sister. Taking a firm stance against her opponents, the CM stated that false promises to South Punjab had long been a political tactic to form and dismantle governments. 'Unlike previous governments, we have moved beyond slogans. We are delivering on our promises,' she declared, announcing the launch of the province's largest clean drinking water project, starting in South Punjab. Her remarks were met with protests and noise from the opposition benches. Responding calmly, she said, 'Let them protest. I respect their democratic right.' Maryam also presented what she termed a 'historic' and 'tax-free' provincial budget of Rs. 5,335 billion, praising Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdil for crafting a budget aligned with Nawaz Sharif's economic vision. Referencing military and diplomatic achievements, she congratulated the nation on 'the victory over India' and commended the armed forces and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their leadership. She also condemned Israel's recent strikes on Iran, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to peace and solidarity with the Iranian people. Maryam Nawaz underscored her administration's equitable development efforts, stating, 'Every district—whether Bhakkar, Layyah, Rajanpur, D.G. Khan, or Rahim Yar Khan—has the same share in development as Lahore.' She clarified that her competition was not with political rivals but with her own family's legacy. 'My benchmark is Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif—I aim to surpass their record of public service.' The Chief Minister also acknowledged the Mines and Minerals Department's contributions, citing Rs. 30 billion in savings, and noted that public spending had risen by only 3%, including pay and pension increases. Opposition members in the Punjab Assembly may be barred from entering the premises following their misconduct during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's speech. They created chaos, hurled abusive slogans, and tore copies of the agenda, throwing them toward the Chief Minister and Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. During her address, opposition members attempted to approach the Speaker's chair, shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings. Government members intervened to restrain them. Sources indicate the opposition could face entry restrictions due to their actions, including storming the Speaker's podium, using inappropriate language, and throwing documents. It may be recalled that Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan had issued a ruling the previous day outlining a code of conduct for assembly sessions. The ruling prohibits reading books/newspapers or bringing them into the house. It also prohibits passing between a speaking member and the chair. Additionally, eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking inside the assembly is not allowed. Damaging furniture or electronic equipment is strictly prohibited, and carrying sticks or rods without the Speaker's permission is forbidden. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
