PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) has given the green light to bids for improving a number of its assets through public-private partnerships.
According to a statement released on Monday, the recommendations were adopted during the 10th PDA board meeting held with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan that instructed PDA authorities to plan an annual timetable for property auctions.
The board formally approved the proposals regarding the development of various PDA properties on a public-private partnership basis, according to the statement.
This was done to “create a conducive environment for private investment and implement the development initiatives efficiently and sustainably.”
It stated that the proposed changes to the PDA Auction Regulation, 2021 were adopted by the board at the meeting.
Besides, the changes will increase the current lease duration for several PDA facilities, including stores, halls, offices, apartments, parking lots, sasta bazaars, wedding venues, and gas stations.
Furthermore, the PDA’s staff were given instructions by the chief minister to simplify their operations to meet modern demands.
He said that the administration was aiming to minimize autonomous institutions’ financial reliance on the provincial government by empowering them.
Along with the updated New Peshawar Valley logo, which is consistent with public sector housing programs, the meeting also accepted the PDA’s revised budget projections for the years 2021–22 and 2022–23.
The board also gave its approval for the PDA employees’ amended pay scale and allowances, which had already been informed by the provincial government.
Additionally, the chief minister received payment for Rs. 7.5 million from the authorities, raised for the Chief Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.
The meeting was attended by the provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Faisal Amin Gandapur, PMA Peer Fida, Amjad Ali Khan’s principal secretary, Local Government Secretary Zaheerul Islam, PDA Director General Fayaz Ali Shah, and other board members.
