DNA

Faisalabad: Owing to critical situation of financial imbalance, Parks and Horticulture Authority has demanded Rs.660 Million from the punjab government so that PHA may perform it’s functions smoothly.

Rapid urbanization and industrialization has made Faisalabad among the major polluted cities while textile as well as other industries have also made it environmentally hazardous city and widening /dualization of all the major roads of city by NLC and FWO resulted in removal of plants and green belts that caused a great damage to the natural environment.

PHA was established in 2014 which by its strenuous  and sustained efforts,succeeded in making the city clean and green but still a large number of Parks and  green belts are to be developed up to the desired is worth mentioned here that PHA is maintaining 816.19 Acres green area and under its jurisdiction,four towns,ie Madina town,Jinnah town,Iqbal town and Lyallpur town,consist of 350 parks,parks area in 466.27 Acres,green belts area in 131.58 Acres,central Median area in 37.73 Acres,triangles area in 8.16 Acres,Roundabouts area in 0.43 Acres and Rakh Branch canal area in 172.02  Acres.

it is pertinent to state that PHA has inherited financial crises since it’s creation because the major source of income relied upon the collection of outdoor advertisement and  regulatory fees which has been affected adversely by certain internal and external factors.Asma Ijaz Cheema,Director General PHA,told express Tribune government of punjab,vide outdoor advertisement regulation 2017,had exempted the non-branded boards from the payments of advertisement fee while at the time of creation of PHA,the operational area had  comprised four urban towns including peri urban and rural areas but with the introduction of new local government system,the peri and rural areas had been excluded from the operational area of PHA which now falls under the jurisdiction of Zila council from where advertisement fee is being collected by Zila Council.Resultantly,the income of PHA amounting to Rs.25 Million,previously collected from peri urban and rural areas,stands abolished.

She further elaborated  that the newly introduced Punjab Local Govt Act 2019  has further created the bottlenecks in collection of outdoor advertisement fees because this act authorised local govt (Municipal Corporations/committees) to regulate sign boards  and advertisements in the local areas of local government.The Covid-19 has also affected the own source recovery which remained 130 Million rupees against the expected target of Rs.230 Million and even collection rights could not be awarded due to the above-mentioned ambiguities.

She deplored that recently the honorable Lahore  High Court Rawalpindi bench has given decision in favour of a large bank,has stopped all the PHAs of punjab to collect the advertisement fees from banks which increased financial difficulties and problems of these authorities.she told that 400.098 Million rupees gran in aid doled out by punjab govt in financial year 2016-17,had been gradually reduced to the tune of Rs.218.75 Million.the financial constraints not only affected maintenance of existing infrastructure but also development of new parks and there  is  a wide gap between income and expenditures causing shrinking recreational  space
for citizens.