The Punjab Information Department and the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) on Thursday signed an agreement for the development of Journalist Colony Phase-II, in line with the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Secretary Information Syed Tahir Raza Hamdani and Brig (retd) Mansoor Ahmed Janjua signed the document at a ceremony attended by CEO RUDA Imran Amin, Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari, Senior Vice President Afzal Talib, Deputy Managing Director Adnan Arshad, Director Public Relations Abid Latif Sandhu and other officials.
Under the agreement, RUDA will provide developed plots to journalists within three to five years. An initial deposit of Rs. 62,500 will be submitted to the Punjab Journalist Housing Foundation.
The secretary information said the provincial government, following the vision of CM Maryam Nawaz, had formally initiated practical steps to ensure housing for journalists.
RUDA CEO Imran Amin said the authority was offering affordable residential plots to the journalist community on the instructions of the Punjab government, adding that the living standards in the colony would be at par with those of the Chahar Bagh Scheme.
Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari thanked Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Information Minister Azma Bokhari, noting that the initiative had paved the way for the long-awaited housing project for journalists. He called for keeping monthly installments reasonable in view of low salaries and unemployment in the media industry.