LAHORE, Nov 1: The Data Gunj Bakhsh Town’s Sodiwal Union Council (No 92) approved its budget for 2001-2002 at a special session here on Thursday, showing an expected income of Rs3.7 million.

This is the first union council in Lahore which has passed its budget.

The meeting was presided over by the minority councillor Chaudhry Nizam Masih. Union Council Nazim Muhammad Shoaib Khan Niazi gave details of the expected annual income and expenditure of the council.

According to him, Rs365,000 had been earmarked for the non-developmental and Rs3.146 million for development budget, keeping Rs200,000 as the closing balance.

Mr Niazi said the budget had been prepared while keeping in view the personal and collective requirements of the people of the area. The volume of the next budget will be increased, he hoped.

It was stated that the union council had already started collecting tax.

Mr Niazi also presented the project of a wholesale commercial plaza and residential flats at the Lahore district’s land along Bund Road.

He said the building plan and the feasibility reports of the project were being prepared which will be presented to the district council in near future.

He said the project will help the union council and the district government earn profit worth millions of rupees.

The details of the budget are

Income: grants from the city district Rs2.461 million, income from death/birth certificates Rs50,000 and from professional tax/vacation tax Rs1.2 million.

Expenditure: honorarium for Nazim and Naib Nazim Rs30,000 and Rs20,000, salaries for the work charged employees Rs80,000.

The contingent expenditure is: Entertainment charges Rs10,000, printing and stationery Rs20,000, purchase/ repair of computers Rs50,000, telephone charges Rs30,000, utility bills Rs30,000 and advertisement and other expenditures Rs20,000.

The charged expenditure include women welfare Rs50,000, sports activities Rs25,000 and calamities Rs50,000.