Varying building rules taint cityscape

Town planners invited to suggest uniform code

LAHORE:

Lack of coordination and separate building by-laws of more than half a dozen institutions have affected the landscape of the provincial capital.

Because of the absence of a uniform policy, similar construction is barred by some departments but permitted by others. Some areas of the metropolis have high-rise buildings, while in others the construction of more than two storeys is not allowed. Commercial activities in residential areas are also apparently ignored in some parts of the city.

The city Master Plan 2050 is being prepared by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), but various institutions have their own rules related to town planning. The situation earlier resulted in lack of implementation of the Master Plan 2020.

Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa said while speaking to The Express Tribune that there was no doubt that there should be uniform building by-laws in the city.

In this regard, the town planners of the LDA, metropolitan corporation, Walled City Authority, Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), Central Business District and cantonment boards have been invited to bring their respective by-laws, identify the difference among them and try to prepare uniform building rules, he added.

LDA Director General Mohammad Amir Khan also termed it necessary for the development of the city that all the departments continue their work but the building by-laws should be the same for the whole metropolis.

He said most of the related problems would be solved by applying uniform building rules. Work on resolving the issue was started in the past but then abandoned. The Punjab government can play a role in bringing the departments together to formulate a policy, he added. As the population of Lahore is increasing rapidly, its problems are also increasing at the same rate.

The responsibility for providing municipal services to the citizens lies with the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore, which approves residential and commercial plans in the areas falling under its control. Similarly, the LDA approves the plans for residential, commercial, industrial and high-rise buildings within its jurisdiction.

The Punjab Central Business District Development Authority has also been given the responsibility of approving high-rise and other mega projects.

The Ravi Urban Development Authority was formed to build a new city along the river, which has its own building by-laws. People living in these areas are constructing buildings as per these rules.

The Walled City Authority is also involved in approving building by-laws, maps and maintenance of the old city.

Similarly, the cantonment boards have their own by-laws, under which the residents carry out residential and commercial buildings’ construction.

The building by-laws of all the institutions operating in the city are different and the fees also vary. According to an architect, different departments may operate in cities across the world but the building rules are the same. This results in similar construction adding to the beauty of the cities.

Consensus between the heads of all relevant authorities on the town planning policy is likely to help reduce the problems related to pollution, parking, traffic, sewerage and water supply.

Flyovers, underpasses, roads and other projects are being built with billions of rupees, but coordination among the eleven authorities is necessary to ensure that the citizens benefit from them, an official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2023.