LAHORE: The Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) wants the newly-established district horticulture agencies to devise area-specific revenue generation plans aimed at strengthening their financial sustainability and reducing reliance on government funding.

It was decided in a meeting presided over by PHA Additional Director General (ADG) Mirza Waleed Baig. The district agencies were brought under the PHA’s administrative umbrella following the authority’s restructuring last year.

Mr Baig had also held meetings with district agencies heads and conducted visits on the instructions of PHA Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad.

During the meetings with their managing directors (MDs), the agencies’ operational performance and administrative arrangements and progress on organisational development was reviewed, stressing the need to build financially self-sustaining institutions.

He directed the agencies to identify local opportunities for revenue generation and prepare strategies suited to the commercial profiles of the respective districts while ensuring compliance with the relevant legal framework.

“Every district has its own commercial character, and revenue strategies must reflect that, instead of copying a single template,” Mr Baig said. “A district with heavy commercial activity may derive significant income from regulating outdoor advertising, while another may have greater potential in leasing underutilised land or entering into public-private partnerships for the development and management of parks,” he added.

The PHA’s established agencies generate most of their own revenue through the regulation of commercial outdoor advertisements, including roadside billboards, digital displays and shop signboards.

Additional income is generated through the Directorate of Coordination, which oversees the leasing and auctioning of PHA-owned commercial assets, while the Planning and Development Directorate collects fees for processing right-of-access permissions, no-objection certificates and other regulatory approvals linked to development projects.

The ADG also reviewed proposals for public-private partnership initiatives and urged the district agencies to explore innovative models for the development, maintenance and commercial utilisation of parks and green spaces. He advised the newly-established agencies to maintain close coordination with more experienced horticulture authorities to benefit from their expertise and adopt proven practices in revenue generation and institutional management.

He also reviewed the agencies’ horticulture operations, including the maintenance and rehabilitation of public parks, beautification initiatives, seasonal plantation campaigns, nursery development and urban greening projects.

He issued directions to remove operational bottlenecks and improve service delivery as part of efforts to strengthen the institutional capacity of the newly-created agencies and ensure uniform administrative, financial and operational standards across Punjab.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2026