LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the establishment of Parks and Horticulture Authorities (PHAs) in every district of Punjab, with a January 2027 deadline set for setting up the bodies in 20 more districts.
The PHAs were already functional in 10 districts, while new authorities had been established in 11 others. The government also approved recruitment against 2,820 technical posts for the authorities, including managing directors, directors and technical staff at the district level.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on Friday, where officials briefed her on the progress of existing PHAs and plans to expand their operations across the province.
The meeting was informed that in the second phase, PHAs will be established in every tehsil of Punjab, the meeting was told.
The Chief Minister directed the authorities to prepare a resource plan for each district and launch phased plantation drives across tehsils, cities, towns and villages. She also ordered the preparation of monthly plans for planting seasonal flowers and the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for PHA officials.
The meeting decided to establish in-house nurseries in every district to provide plants at affordable prices for plantation drives and seasonal floral displays. The design of PHA food courts was also approved, while uniform branding for PHA staff and vehicles was planned.
The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure that trees and flowers were planted in every available vacant space. She also called for standardised planters and flowerpots across cities in the province.
A briefing informed the meeting that all Category C parks in Lahore had been restored. Each PHA had been assigned targets for improving the urban landscape, beautifying parks and rehabilitating green belts.
Officials said standardised plantation plans would be implemented in each district according to seasonal requirements. Bougainvillea had been planted along Khayaban-i-Jinnah, bamboo along Atta Bakhsh Road and amaltas trees along other roads. Three varieties of marigolds were also being grown across the province.
The meeting was further informed that orders had been issued for PHA staff working at residences to return to their offices.
“I want every city, town and village to be adorned with trees and plants and filled with the fragrance of flowers,” the Chief Minister said. She said plantation was beneficial not only for the environment but also for human health, adding that planting trees was a virtuous act and helped mitigate the effects of climate change.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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