Category: Lahore

Lahore: Cold and partly cloudy conditions prevailed in the city on Wednesday, with the Meteorological Department forecasting similar weather for the next 24 hours.

The MET officials reported that a weather system was expected to enter western regions of the country later tonight, potentially affecting upper areas until January 6. Rain and snow are predicted for northern and western Balochistan, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and adjacent hilly areas. Moderate to heavy rain or snow may occur in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the evening or night.

In addition, moderate to dense fog is likely to persist in most plains of Punjab and Upper Sindh. Other parts of the country are expected to experience cold and partly cloudy weather.

The lowest temperature on Wednesday was recorded in Skardu and Gupis at -9°C, while Lahore's minimum temperature was 6.6°C, with a maximum of 14°C.

Lahore: Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Wednesday sealed another 111 properties, in a crackdown on illegal commercial buildings and defaulters of commercial fees. On the direction of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq, the LDA teams had been conducting daily operations with full force. In the latest operation, the teams sealed and demolished 111 properties in various areas of the city. The targeted locations included Gulberg, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Sabzazar, Shah Jamal, Gulshan Ravi, and Samanabad. Specifically, 32 properties in Gulberg, Faisal Town, and Garden Town were sealed, while 45 properties in Shah Jamal, Gulshan Ravi, and Samanabad, and 34 properties in Sabzazar were also sealed. The properties included private schools, restaurants, salons, food points, shops, offices, stores, and other commercial establishments. Prior to the operation, the owners of these properties had been issued multiple notices regarding their illegal status. The operation was carried out under the superv ision of Chief Town Planner, Asad ul Zaman.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare, Khawaja Imran Nazir,

inaugurated a newly revamped urban dispensary on Bhogiwal Road on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, he announced that the new year would be marked with a renewed commitment to serving humanity. The minister lauded the completion of the dispensary's revamping within a mere three months and reiterated that, under the vision of Chief Minister, all urban dispensaries in Punjab would be revamped by the end of year. Khawaja Imran Nazir highlighted key developments in Punjab's healthcare infrastructure, including the near-completion of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Lahore, costing Rs 82 billion. He also mentioned the establishment of a second Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC-2) at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, and a new cardiac center in Sargodha. Additionally, new dialysis machines are being provided to healthcare facilities across the province. The minister provided an update on the recruitment of healthcare professionals, stating that 3,500 doctors were hired duri ng the previous tenure, while 1,500 have been recruited so far in the current term. He revealed that by December 31, nearly 600 health facilities had been revamped, and 150 Basic Health Units were being upgraded into Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics. He assured that no doctor, nurse, or staff member would face unemployment, as they would be relocated to nearby facilities. He emphasized that these clinics would significantly enhance the healthcare system at the grassroots level. Local MPA Shoaib Siddiqui also attended the ceremony. The formal inauguration of dispensary was performed by Falah Ghaffar, the daughter of Union Council Chairman Abdul Ghaffar Chaudhry. During the event, the Provincial Health Minister inspected various sections of the dispensary, including the pharmacy, labor room, X-ray room, and ultrasound machine. CEO Health Dr Zohaib provided a detailed briefing on the revamping process. The dispensary now offers a range of services, including OPD, antenatal care (ANC), normal deliveries, nutrition counseling, and family planning. A documentary highlighting the improvements and showcasing the upgraded facilities was presented to attendees. The event concluded with enthusiastic support from the local community, who chanted slogans in favor of Maryam Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, and Khawaja Imran Nazir, while showering flower petals to express their appreciation for the upgraded healthcare facility.

Lahore: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has declared 2024 as the most successful year in the province's history. She highlighted that Maryam Nawaz launched over 77 public relief projects, with more than 50 already completed. Importantly, all of these initiatives were funded using Punjab's own resources, she added. Bokhari emphasised that Punjab was leading in development, prosperity, and public welfare compared to other provinces of Pakistan. Relief has been extended to every segment of society, including students, farmers, women, and youth, without any discrimination, she said and added that for the first time, relief packages had also been introduced for minorities in Punjab. The Information minister criticised previous leaders, stating that for four years, Punjab's resources were plundered by figures like 'Pinky', 'Googi', and the Captain. She praised Maryam Nawaz for addressing these injustices and improving the lives of people. Today, the standard of living in Punjab was now far s uperior to that of other provinces, contributing to Maryam Nawaz's growing popularity. She confidently expressed that Punjab's development journey would continue on this trajectory over the next five years.

Lahore: The Punjab government has collected around Rs 650 billion in tax revenue through e-Pay Punjab, developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) in collaboration with the Punjab Finance Department. With over 73.94 million transactions processed to date, the platform continues to revolutionize the way citizens interact with government services. During a progress review meeting by PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf, it was highlighted that ePay Punjab enables citizens to conveniently pay 86 types of taxes and fees related to 18 government departments from the comfort of their homes. In his remarks, Chairman Faisal Yousaf stated, 'This initiative has significantly reduced the need for unnecessary visits to government offices and curtailed exploitation by middlemen, while contributing substantially to the provincial exchequer.' He further emphasized that PITB was working to enhance the system by introducing new services to make it even more user-friendly and to simplify citizens' lives.