LAHORE, July 17: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi will perform the ground-breaking ceremony of a 400-kanal Expo Centre in Johar Town here on Monday.

The Expo Centre is being established jointly by the provincial and federal governments at an estimated cost of one billion rupees. The land has been provided by the Lahore Development Authority on a 40-years lease at the rate of Rs10 million per annum.

The centre will comprise a state-of-the-art exhibition and fair centre designed to provide local exporters with a permanent venue for displaying their products and providing first-hand information to foreign trade delegations and buyers under one roof.

The Expo Centre will be developed by a private company established under the Companies Ordinance in accordance with the provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan, and the Industries, Mines and Minerals Department, Government of Punjab, on March 30, 2002.

A steering committee has been constituted for establishing the centre and looking after its affairs. It comprises the chairman and vice-chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau, the director-general of Export Promotion Bureau in Lahore, the Punjab industries minister and secretary, the federal commerce joint secretary, the Punjab finance secretary, the director-general of Lahore Development Authority, the chief executive M/S Borjan and the presidents of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The prime minister has approved a proposal to appoint steering committee members as directors of the company.