LAHORE: Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani says that seven new development projects are being launched under the new fiscal year’s budget, with a total allocation of Rs4bn aimed at boosting tourism in the region.

He shared these details in a briefing on the development funds allocated in the budget in a meeting at the South Punjab Secretariat on Friday.

Mr Rabbani said a recreational park and a tourist resort would be constructed at Fort Munro at a cost of Rs400m while another recreational park would be developed along the Indus River at Ghazi Ghat with an estimated cost of Rs800m.

He further revealed that an international-standard ecotourism project was also being launched at the Lal Suhanra National Park, aiming at promoting sustainable tourism while preserving the natural ecosystem. This flagship initiative would be completed with a dedicated budget of Rs2bn. According to Mr Rabbani, the existing tourist resorts in Derawar Fort, Kot Mithan, and tehsil Chaubara will be upgraded while new tourist resorts would be established at Mari (district Rajanpur) and Ghazi Ghat to attract visitors.

The officer also highlighted that an amount of Rs250m had been earmarked for the procurement of modern management systems and live GPS tracking devices for the Cholistan and Thal desert rallies.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025