LDA approves deficit budget

LAHORE, Aug 1: The governing body of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Monday approved the annual budget of the authority and its subsidiaries, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (Tepa), for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The collective resources of LDA, Wasa and Tepa have been estimated at Rs20.101 billion against Rs22.376 billion expected expenditures, including Rs14.77 billion earmarked for development works.

Total income of the LDA has been estimated at Rs12.602 billion against expected expenditures of Rs11.633 billion, including development expenditure of Rs9.38 billion.

The LDA will spend Rs666 million for the development of infrastructure in housing schemes for government employees, including LDA Avenue-1, Rs500 million on the development of Trade and Finance Centre in Johar Town and Rs100 million on the construction of cricket pavilions at various sites in the city besides undertaking construction of cricket ground in Sabzazar Housing Scheme at a cost of Rs50 million.

Also, Rs500 million have been reserved for priority works in the new budget. Construction of pedestrian bridges at six places in the city will cost Rs164 million, while Rs1.21 billion have been allocated for improvement of roads under the Lahore Roads Rehabilitation Programme.

The improvement of Main Road in Faisal Town will cost Rs110 million whereas improvement of Model Town Link Road will be carried out with Rs113 million. While Rs1.2 billion will be spent on construction of three car parking plazas in the city, Rs2 billion have been earmarked for construction of an underpass at Kalma Chowk as well as an overhead bridge at Canal-Ferozepur Road intersection.

The Wasa expects total receipts of Rs4.21 billion while it will spend Rs7.52 billion, including Rs2.30 billion on development schemes. Development schemes include installation of 20 new tube-wells in different areas of the city costing Rs141.28 million, restoration of Sattokatla Drain from Ferozepur Road to PECO Road costing Rs199 million and project for improvement of water supply, sewerage and drainage in the provincial metropolis will be carried out with Rs125 million.

Among the ongoing schemes, sewerage and drainage requirements in different towns of the city will be met with Rs100 million, a trunk sewer from Shadipura to Salamatpura will cost Rs251 million, replacement of water supply lines at a cost of Rs245 million and construction of a waste water treatment plant at Salamtpura will cost Rs500 million.

Tepa will have Rs3.28 billion at its disposal whereas its expenditure have been estimated at Rs3.21 billion, including development works costing Rs3.09 billion. The construction of an alternative road from Defence Road to Butcher Khana will cost Rs2 million whereas construction of structure road from Khayaban-i-Jinnah to Valencia Town will cost Rs188 million, Rs147 million have been allocated for remodelling of Canal Bank Road from Dhaarampura to Thokar Niaz Baig.

LDA chairman and DCO Ahad Cheema chaired the meeting which was also attended by authority’s vice-chairman Aamir Asgher Dar, Wasa vice-chairman Haji Muhammad Sharif, LDA director-genera Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, Wasa managing-director Dr. Javed Iqbal, Tepa additional director-general Irfan Bhatti and TMOs of all the nine towns.