Lahore Division

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has adopted scientifically designed greenbelts along major roads and highways to improve stormwater management and reduce urban flooding risks. Traditionally, elevated greenbelts restricted natural drainage during heavy rainfall, leading to water accumulation and severe road flooding. Under the revised approach, new greenbelts will be constructed at optimised, lower levels in line with international best practices, allowing natural water flow while preserving environmental objectives and avoiding disruption to existing infrastructure. The government has also accelerated work on the Lungs of Lahore and Ring Road Forestation Project, a pioneering environmental initiative aimed at reducing smog, improving air quality, and supporting sustainable urban development. The project envisions the creation of a forest-like green boundary around Lahore, serving as a natural buffer against air pollution and uncontrolled urban expansion. Authorities describe the initiative as a permanent ecological asset that positions Lahore alongside global cities adopting nature-based solutions to enhance environmental resilience. The model is expected to be replicated in other districts through the Punjab Housing Authorities. In the housing sector, Punjab’s flagship programme Apni Chhat Apna Ghar achieved a major milestone in 2025, with more than 50,000 homes completed. The initiative is designed to reduce the province’s housing deficit for low-income families by offering zero-interest and zero-fee housing loans, with a strong emphasis on social inclusion. Priority beneficiaries include widows, persons with disabilities, and minority communities. Additionally, the Apni Zameen Apna Ghar programme has been launched to secure land ownership for landless families. Built on a digital-first framework, the programme enabled 367,000 applicants across Punjab to apply online. It has now entered the implementation phase, marked by the first digital balloting of 2,000 free residential plots across 19 districts, including Kasur, Faisalabad, Attock, Sargodha, Jhelum, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Jhang, Okara, Bhakkar, Khushab, Layyah, Vehari, Lodhran, Sahiwal, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, and Bahawalnagar. Taken together, these initiatives reflect Punjab’s broader commitment to environmental sustainability, urban resilience, and social equity. The combined focus on climate-responsive infrastructure and inclusive housing aims to improve living standards while addressing long-term environmental and housing challenges across the province.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has advanced its agriculture market reform program through the operational expansion of a centralized digital monitoring system for essential commodities, reinforcing ongoing digitization measures across agricultural markets. The initiative was highlighted during official briefings in early January 2026, including discussions at the Punjab Assembly, as part of wider reforms under the provincial administration led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. The digital dashboard has been developed and implemented by the Punjab Agriculture Department, in coordination with market management bodies operating under the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) framework. The system was formally presented by the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister (SACM) during a briefing on inflation trends and crop pricing, where its technical features and operational coverage were outlined. The platform integrates real-time data on key commodities such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, pulses, chicken, and other staple food items. Information is compiled from multiple stages of the supply chain, including production estimates, daily arrivals in public and private mandis, consumption patterns, storage levels in warehouses and cold storage facilities, and processing units such as flour, rice, and sugar mills. According to officials, the dashboard enables district- and province-level visibility of supply and demand, allowing authorities to monitor market movements on a daily basis. The system also includes data from both government-managed and privately operated storage facilities, providing a consolidated view of available stocks and movement trends. Administrative sources indicated that the digital system supports regulatory oversight by identifying supply gaps, monitoring price movements, and highlighting logistical constraints such as storage shortages or transportation delays. Flood alerts linked to grain storage locations have also been incorporated to support stock protection and food security planning during adverse weather conditions. The initiative forms part of a broader modernization effort within Punjab’s agriculture sector, which includes the digitization of fruit and vegetable markets, the phased rollout of Model Agriculture Malls, and the launch of a high-tech agricultural finance portal for machinery financing earlier in 2026. These measures are being implemented through provincial departments and market authorities to standardize market operations and improve record-keeping. Officials stated that the digital monitoring system will continue to be refined as more markets and storage points are linked to the platform. Further updates and technical details are expected to be issued through official notifications by the Punjab Agriculture Department and relevant regulatory bodies as implementation progresses.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has agreed in principle to introduce amendments to the Property Ownership Act following intense legal pressure and strong objections raised by the judiciary. The move is being seen as a significant step toward restoring judicial authority and ensuring legal transparency in property-related matters. According to official sources, the decision comes in the wake of dozens of constitutional petitions filed before the Lahore High Court and sustained resistance from bar associations. Under the proposed amendments, tribunals established under the Property Ownership Act will be headed by serving Additional Sessions Judges instead of retired judges. This change aims to strengthen judicial independence, credibility, and transparency within the tribunal system. In addition, civil judges will be empowered to conduct a preliminary review of illegal possession complaints before referring them to district committees. Under the revised framework, district committees will no longer have the authority to directly decide pending cases. Any reference to a committee will only be made through a civil judge. Earlier provisions allowing affected parties to directly approach committees had drawn severe criticism from the legal community, which argued that such clauses undermined the role of regular courts. It is pertinent to note that the Lahore High Court had issued a stay order on the Punjab Property Ownership Ordinance and sought an explanation from the provincial government after petitioners contended that the law curtailed judicial powers and deprived citizens of traditional legal forums. In response, the Punjab government constituted a high-level legal committee to review the objections and recommend corrective measures. The draft amendments explicitly preserve the right to appeal against interim orders of the tribunals before the Lahore High Court. Provisions for judicial review are also being incorporated, reflecting the government’s willingness to accommodate constitutional concerns while pursuing faster resolution of land and property disputes. Legal experts believe that if these amendments receive final approval, they could ease tensions between the judiciary and the executive and help restore public confidence in the legal process governing property and land disputes. The draft is currently being finalized through consultations with judicial authorities and bar councils, and formal implementation is expected after consensus among all stakeholders.