Rs830 million uplift projects approved

LAHORE

LDA governing body granted administrative approval for undertaking three development projects in the city at a cost of Rs 830 million Tuesday. 

Adviser to chief minister Kh Ahmad Hassan chaired the meeting which was attended by members of Punjab assembly including Bao Muhammad Akhtar from Lahore, Rana Muhammad Arshad from Nankana Sahib and Muhammad Yaqub Nadeem Sethi from Kasur, Director General. LDA, Nabeel Javed, District Coordination Officer, Lahore, Nabeel Javed, Additional Director General, LDA, Amina Munir, Managing Director, Wasa, Ch Naseer Ahmad, Chief Engineer, LDA, Asrar Saeed, Chief Metropolitan Planner Waheed Ahmad Butt and representatives of the provincial Local government, Housing, P&D and Finance Departments as well as of commissioner Lahore division.

The officials said the governing body gave a go ahead for undertaking project for widening, improvement and rehabilitation of 4.7 km-long part of Defence Road, from Labour Colony Raiwind Road to Shahkam Chowk at a cost of Rs 736 million. Right of way of the road will be 70-feet and it will be a two lane dual carriage way with three feet median with LED lights, they said, adding a bridge will also be constructed on the nearby drain as part of this project.

The meeting permitted LDA for development of six flyover gardens in the city at a cost of Rs 91 million. The project will be sponsored by LDA and executed by Parks and Horticulture Authority. Six locations of the city including Azadi Chowk Flyover, MAO College Rotary, centre Median of Muslim Town Flyover, Thokar Niaz Baig Flyover, Lahore Bridge and Khayra Bikers Ring (Shinghai Bridge) have been identified for this purpose and land adjacent to these infrastructures will be beautified with horticulture works under this project.

They said the LDA will also carry out beautification and improvement of Shadman Underpass at a cost of Rs 5.1 million. Artistic design work, paint work and electrical work will be executed at this location under this project, the officials concluded. 

Vocational training: Prime Minister Youth Programme (PMYP) chairperson MNA Leila Khan has said the government will take measures to provide skilled youth with better employment opportunity both in local and international market. 

According to a press release, addressing a meeting at Tevta Secretariat on Tuesday, she appreciated the efforts of Tevta for offering demand driven short-courses to train the youth in employable trades across Punjab. She emphasised the need of promoting vocational training, saying it was the only way to create employment avenues along with harnessing industry institution linkage. 

MNA Shiza Fatima Khawaja, Tevta Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi and other officials were present. 

Leila Khan said the priority of the government was to look after the unemployed youth across the country. “Under the Prime Minister Youth Programme, we are working for poverty alleviation and provision of jobs to unemployed youth”, she added. 

Earlier, Jawad Ahmed Qureshi highlighted the efforts of Tevta for furthering vocational training and increasing opportunities for training of youth of the province. He said the vision of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was to provide skilled training to the youth to produce employable skilled workforce responsive to the needs of industry locally and abroad.