RAWALPINDI, June 7: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) on Thursday approved budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 with the total outlay of Rs2.3 billion.

The budget was approved in a special board meeting held under the chairmanship of Station Commander Brig Zaman Nasarullah Khan Niazi. The RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan presented the budget.

The special board sent the budget proposals to Military Lands and Cantonments Regional Director for the formal approval. The implementation on the budget will be started on July 1.

Talking to Dawn, RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan said the RCB would provide Rs160 million to Capital Development Authority (CDA) to clear its outstanding dues against the electricity arrears for Sangjani Filtration Plant during next fiscal year.

He also said the RCB would pay attention to develop its assets while constructing shopping malls on its vacant plots in different areas. “The basic purpose is to avoid increase in the property tax, water charges and other fees while generating annual income through its assets to provide basic civic facilities to the residents,” he said.

He added that for water supply schemes, the RCB would spend Rs100 million on the repair and relocation of old and rusty water supply lines in different areas. He claimed that the RCB had spent Rs350 million on the Khanpur Dam Water Supply Project Phase-III after receiving the funds from federal government and the remaining Rs300 million worth construction work would be completed by the end of December.

For Cantonment General Hospital (CGH), he said, the RCB allocated Rs100 million for the purchase of machinery and refurbishment. He added the RCB had already spent Rs100 million during the fiscal 2011-12 and further allocation was to make 350-bed hospital.

He said the RCB achieved the target of Rs300 million of property tax for the year 2011-12 and it also set Rs400 million target for property tax while bringing those commercial and domestic units in the tax net which had not been paying tax for last many years.

He said that RCB had also allocated Rs50 million for the improvement of parks and green belts and added that the garden branch had already been directed to start the improvement work during the monsoon and grow more trees and greenery for the residents.

He added that the RCB would also shift the landfill site at Dhoke Gujran to Chakri Road during next fiscal year and in this regard, it had selected the site. The present landfill site would be converted into housing scheme to earn money for the civic body to improve its present assets, he disclosed.