Dangerous buildings
A damning survey has recently revealed that 80% of high-rise buildings in Lahore are not safe to live in or work in. Almost 601 properties have been deemed dangerous by the Walled City of Lahore Authority for not having adequate firefighting and safety arrangements. Following this, the concerned department has also been asked by higher authorities to survey all marriage halls and marquees in the city and ensure arrangements for safety of the public.
This issue cannot be taken lightly as thousands of people are at a significant security risk. Urgent action is required to further analyse these buildings and direct owners to ensure that necessary safety measures are in place before a specified timeframe in order to minimise any risks at the earliest. Punishment should also be meted out to those involved for not abiding by the standard regulations in order to deter builders from illegal constructions. It must also be realised that there is a lack of a uniform process for approving building plan in Lahore and the mandate of different civic bodies — including LDA, metropolitan corporation, tehsil municipal administrations, town committees, Walled City Authority, housing department, and cantonment boards — overlap. This systemic problem is a provincial one, as different agencies across the 36 districts of Punjab control the building sector and approve plans according to their own rules. This convoluted, incoherent system must be fixed by reviewing each institution’s responsibility. Higher officials need to call in an inquiry into the matter as a serious lapse in the system has been persisting for a long time to let such constructions go unnoticed.
Any unforeseen circumstance could lead to loss of lives that can otherwise be prevented from safety measures. This is why corruption must always be strictly dealt with. The city must now be brought under one umbrella with regard to building by-laws to ensure that development is conducted in accordance with regulations.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2023.
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