GUJRAT: The upgrade of the Punjab Local Government Academy Lalamusa has been approved with the allocation of Rs550m for the project.

The Punjab Local Government and C o m m u n i t y D e v e 1 o p m e n t Department, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is aiming at transforming the local government academy into the centre of excellence, said a senior official of theacademy while talking to Dawn on Thursday.

He added that the academy had been serving as a training centre for the officials as well as the elected representatives of the local government for decades and its upgrade was required to make the facility on a par with the international standards of such centres.

The approval offunds for the project has also been accorded by the Punjab planning and development chairman and its execution would be launched soon after going through therequired procedures.

As per the project`s design, the Haider Academic Block would be made an information technology centre while upgrade of E-Library, conference hall, training rooms, research centre and furnishing of Ayesha executive hall would be done. Moreover, the laying of sewerage, water supply, construction of roads, installation of a water testing laboratory, solar system and closedcircuit cameras, provision of computers, furniture and fixture purchase of vehicles and construction of boundary wall arealso the major parts of the project.

The Punjab government is planning to prepare a skilled human resource for improvement of municipal services across the province through provision of better training facilities and environment at the Lalamusa academy.

Wajahat Hafeez Siddiqui, an assistant director of the academy, said the modern training facilities would be ensured at the centre as per the directions of Dr Irshad Ahmed, the secretary Punjab local government department.