Maryam Nawaz approves PHAs in every Punjab district, 2,820 technical posts

Chairing a meeting on the establishment of PHAs, plantation drives, park restoration and efforts to make cities greener and more attractive, the chief minister was briefed that PHAs were already operational in 10 districts, while authorities had been established in another 11 districts. The meeting decided to set January 2027 as the deadline for establishing PHAs in 20 more districts.

In the second phase, the authorities will also be established in every tehsil of Punjab. Maryam Nawaz directed officials to carry out plantation drives and plant flowering species in phases at the tehsil, city and village levels.

She said trees and flowers should be planted in every available space, adding that she wanted every city, town and village in Punjab to be covered with greenery and flowers. The chief minister also ordered the preparation of a monthly plan for planting seasonal flowers.

It was decided that each district’s PHA would establish its own nursery to grow plants for plantation drives and seasonal flowers and provide them to citizens at affordable prices. The meeting also approved recruitment of managing directors, directors and technical staff for PHAs in every district.

Maryam Nawaz directed officials to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the performance of PHA officers and present a resource plan for each district authority. During the briefing, officials said all Category C parks in Lahore had been restored.

Each PHA had also been assigned targets for improving urban landscapes, beautifying parks and restoring green belts. The meeting was informed that bougainvillea had been planted along Khayaban-e-Jinnah, bamboo along Atta Bakhsh Road and amaltas trees along other roads.

Three varieties of marigold flowers in different colours were also being cultivated across the province. Maryam Nawaz approved the design of a PHA food court, while a decision was taken to introduce uniform branding for authority staff and vehicles.

Officials also said orders had been issued to bring PHA employees working from their homes back to their offices. The chief minister said plantation had positive effects on both the environment and human health. She added that planting trees was not only a virtuous deed but also a means of protecting people from the effects of climate change.