Punjab building control authority in the offing

Consultations begin to deal with illegal construction

LAHORE:

In view of rapid commercialisation of land across Punjab, the provincial government has initiated consultations to set up a building control authority to regularly deal with problems arising from illegal construction in residential and industrial areas.

The provincial local government, law and other departments have reportedly started the consultations to set up an authority like the one existing in Karachi.

Due to lack of a building control authority in Punjab, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), metropolitan corporation, tehsil municipal administrations, town committees, Walled City Authority, housing department, cantonment boards and other departments have their own legal procedures of approving the maps. The lack of a uniform process for approving building plans of residential, commercial, industrial and other projects in cities and towns across the province causes wide ranging problems related to pollution, transport, sewerage, water supply, electricity, gas and traffic.

Along with the problems, incidents of roofs and walls of buildings collapsing due to substandard and unplanned construction are also on the rise.

To date, no employee or department has been held responsible for such an incident. The incidents of building collapse cause loss of lives as well as financial loss.

Amid a lack of proper surveillance, commercial buildings are being built in residential areas along with simultaneous complaints of houses being constructed in commercial areas.

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Despite a government ban, private housing schemes are being built in agricultural zones with the connivance of officials of various departments.

In residential areas, people are building houses and plazas at their will instead of following the building by-laws, due to which many problems arise. A major hurdle in overcoming the problems is that each institution has its own building by-laws and penalties.

Officers of the departments concerned often conduct operations against illegal constructions but the affected buildings are rebuilt later.

Lahore, with an estimated population of over 15 million, has two major authorities that control more than 70 per cent of its area, the LDA and metropolitan corporation.

However, the city is yet to be brought under one umbrella with regard to building by-laws. Several meetings were held in this regard but the two departments could not reach an agreement.

About 30% of the provincial capital falls in cantonment areas. They have their own building by-laws that are enforced by the cantonment board employees.

Similarly, in the 36 districts of Punjab, several departments are controlling the building sector and approving maps according to their own rules.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2021.