ETPB begins reassessment of properties

LAHORE:According to the Orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has started reassessment of urban and commercial properties as per current market rates.

ETPB secretary has advised all districts to complete the survey. The revenue of the department is expected to increase by more than Rs3billion. According to a press releases issued by the board, ETPB Secretary Farid Iqbal said a new era of development should begin to make the ETPB profitable due to the special efforts of Chairman Board Syed Atta-ur-Rehman. The secretary board said after estimating the rent of the commercial and residential properties of the department, bills will be issued according to the new rates. The administrators and deputy administrators of all the districts have been assigned the task of completing the survey by the specified date which is being monitored on a daily basis through the mobile application. The properties managed by the trust board were given on very low rents, after which the department started renting at market rates in 2006, but this was challenged in court by the tenants, with an appeal filed in the Supreme Court. Later, the department convinced the court with positive arguments in different periods and in 2023, the Supreme Court issued clear orders for reassessment. After the approval of the departmental committee and the board, this process has started.

‘Millions being saved thru e-tendering’

Provincial Minister Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth on Thursday said that the Department of C&W is working to save millions of rupees through e-tendering. He said that this is the first time in Punjab’s history that there were no complaints about tender process by the contractors. The department estimated the cost of 398 highway projects at 62 billion rupees, but the total bids came in at 51bn, resulting in savings of 11bn due to e-tendering, he added. He mentioned that there will be e-tendering for 50 more highway projects on September 21 and 78 additional projects on Oct 2.