LAHORE: The Punjab cabinet, which met here Tuesday with Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in the chair, accorded approval to several laws including the draft of Punjab Local Government Act 2021.
The new LG system would empower the people through devolution of power at the grassroots.
In the meeting, in-principle approval was granted to Immovable Public Property (Elimination of Encroachments) Ordinance 2021 which would allow the imposition of damages on land grabbers along with the elimination of encroachments on state lands. The occupants involved in the occupation of state lands will have to pay damages on a daily basis.
The meeting decided to hand over the issue of amendment in the land revenue act for deciding about new administrative units to the cabinet standing committee for legislation.
The meeting reversed the decision to increase commercial property tax rate to provide relief to the traders. Those who have deposited commercial property tax amounts would be adjusted in the next tax fees.
The cabinet also approved immediate recruitments on vacant posts of the school education department and directed the department to take further action in this regard. Formal approval of setting up six cement plants was also granted to provide jobs to thousands of people.
The meeting also approved the amendment in Provencal Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965 for the registration of electric vehicles. It directed to constitute a ministerial committee to decide about the agreement between the excise department and NRTC while giving in-principle approval of an agreement for installing radio frequency identification device (vehicles passport) in vehicles.
Approval was granted to give 85 million rupees payment to affected people of Sahiwal and Sialkot under Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme phase-I following a social safeguard policy.
Approval was also granted to bring improvement in financial management and procurement of irrigation department projects of more than 5 billion rupees value. The draft of the agreement and allied matters were approved for handing over the control of the WAPDA managed lower portion of the Chashma Right Bank Canal to Punjab in the light of decisions of the council of common interest (CCI). Under this, repair and maintenance of the lower portion of the Chashma Right Bank Canal would be the responsibility of the irrigation department Punjab.
A relief package was approved to redress the losses that occurred to rabi crops in 2020 due to torrential rains and hailstorms in Noorpur tehsil.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021