LDA revises revenue targets

LAHORE: Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has revised the targets of various wings of the authority for the financial year 2024-25 to improve its revenue generation.

LDA Director General Farooq Tahir while talking with The News said that the revenue targets of various wings were revised. Those officers will stay on the seats who will perform, he said. He said the new overall revenue generation target for the year 2024-25 was Rs45.332 billion whereas in the year 2023-24 the LDA’s total revenue generation was Rs17.987 billion.

LDA’s Town Planning Wing generated Rs8.763 billion during the year 2023-24 while for the present fiscal year its target was set as Rs21 billion. Metropolitan Wing generated Rs0.638 billion during the year 2023-24 while for the present fiscal year its target was revised and set as Rs1.5 billion. The Asset Management Wing generated Rs2.5 billion during the year 2023-24 while for the new fiscal year it has to generate Rs10 billion.

LDA DG said similarly the target of LDA City was revised and during the present fiscal year it will earn Rs8.232 billion against the previous year’s Rs1.364 billion while the General Revenue Receipts target was set as Rs4.5 billion against the previous year’s Rs4.109 billion. Over a question that how can LDA will achieve these revised targets as they were too high, LDA DG said that nine new roads will be declared permanent commercial from which the LDA will get around Rs9 billion revenue.

These roads included Khyaban-e-Firdousi. Abu-ul-Hassan Asfahani, Main Boulevard Sabzazar, Wahdat Road, Qazi Esa Road, Campus Bridge Road, Tollinton Market Road, Shah Jilani Road and Hamdard Jail Road.

LDA DG said the authority was also working to resolve the other problems like shortage of staff and resources especially for the Town Planning and CMP wings. He said new recruitment will be done soon and resources will also be provided to the present officers and staff. “LDA is being transformed like a private housing society where citizens can buy property or invest with full confidence,” he said adding the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was very keen to improve the LDA’s service delivery and digitisation.

Tahir Farooq said the authority’s One-Window Cell was already upgraded and two shifts were introduced so that the citizens can get their work done easily. He said new SOPs were introduced for swift and hassle-free service delivery through One-Window Cell as per the vision of Punjab Chief Minister.