Major relief package announced for residents of Rawalpindi Cantonment

Rawalpindi Cantonment residents received a major relief package on Sunday, with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Division Chairman Malik Ibrar Ahmed slashing house, water and sanitation taxes. Following talks between public representatives and a Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) committee, the residential house tax increase was reduced from 30% to 20%, and three easy payment installments were permitted.

A Rs100 million grant will help transfer tubewells and water storage facilities to solar power, ensuring 15 million gallons per day of water from Daducha Dam. The Chairman expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and Field Marshal Asim Munir for their support in initiating the communication and infrastructure projects in Rawalpindi.

The underpasses at Charing Cross and Qasim Market will convert the route into a signal-free corridor, and the triennial tax revision for 2026-29 was revised from a flat 30% hike to 20% for residential properties while maintaining 30% for commercial units. Taxpayers who cleared dues between 2023 and 2026 won't face retrospective surcharges, and bills will be issued strictly against current payable amounts.

Sanitation rates for residential properties were fixed at various marla ranges, and commercial properties will have a flat sanitation levy of 1% of the annual rental value, aligning with Punjab’s “Suthra Punjab” clean-up model. Annual water charges were also revised downward for different marla ranges. The cantonment will receive 50 MGD of clean water from Chahan Dam and Daducha Dam, and a public graveyard will soon receive ambulance and funeral bus services.