Botched demolition: ‘Daily wagers hired after officials refused’

Chief Town Planner denies claim, says workers employed to save time .

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had to hire daily-wage labourers for the demolition because its Estate Management Department and the Enforcement Department were hesitant to carry out the operation over safety concerns, The Express Tribune has learnt.

An Enforcement Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the concern was conveyed to the Town Planning wing following which it went ahead with the operation with daily-wage labourers.

Chief Town Planner Chaudhry Akram, however, said there were no safety concerns and that contract labour was used to finish the work quickly.

He said September 21 incident was an accident and that it was wrong to hold any particular official responsible for the deaths. “People are dying of dengue everyday but you don’t blame Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for it,” he said.

He said the LDA had served several notices to the owners well ahead of the demolition however he could not mention a date.

The five-storey building had collapsed during a botched demolition last Friday, leaving five workers dead and 21 injured. Five LDA officials have so far been suspended in the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2011.