Progress report: 6 firms shortlisted for 2035 master plan

Authority cracked down on 25 housing schemes during 2012.

LAHORE: The Metropolitan Planning Wing of the Lahore Development Authority has shortlisted six international firms, with representation in Pakistan, and invited technical and financial proposals from them for the preparation of the Master Plan 2035 for Lahore.

Advertisements seeking bids from interested parties were published in August 2012.

Commercialisation fees

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) collected Rs2.3412 billion in commercialisation fees during 2012. This included Rs2.0012 billion collected as permanent commercialisation fees and Rs340 million received as annual or temporary commercialisation fee.

Meanwhile, 500 properties were sealed during the year due to their failure to pay the commercialisation fee despite notices and reminders by the authority.

The LDA’s Town Planning Wing disposed of 238 applications seeking permanent commercialisation, besides taking action on 168 out of the 170 applications for extension to the permission for annual commercialisation. The Wing also received 4,273 applications for the approval of building plans, 4,244 of which were disposed of. They also received 817 applications for the issuance of completion certificates of buildings out of which 803 were disposed of.



Crackdown against housing schemes

The Chief Metropolitan Planning (CMP) wing also launched a crackdown against 25 out of the 240 approved private housing schemes in the city. These schemes had violated the LDA approved scheme plan, sold mortgaged plots, carved out plots from public utility sites or illegally extended the schemes without the LDA approval.

An awareness campaign was launched for the benefit of prospective buyers by prominently publishing advertisements in newspapers and setting up a special counter at LDA’s One-Window Cell to provide information regarding the legal status of the schemes and their plots.

Marketing and advertisement campaigns by private housing schemes were also closely monitored and action taken in case of unsubstantiated.

LDA took a number of steps to ensure the completion of development work in these schemes before the redemption of plots mortgaged by them. The authority also adopted measures for executing the transfer deeds for public utility sites in these schemes to the LDA so that they could be sold at open auctions and for setting up schools and medical centres in these schemes.

The CMP Wing compiled data on the 53 non-approved private housing societies and registered 1,200 cases against such schemes. The LDA also took punitive action against some schemes and demolished their site offices and boundary walls. The CMP Wing also undertook planning and development of the Finance and Trade Centre in Johar Town, which is spread over 1,123 kanals. A hotel site, situated in the Centre measuring 118 kanals, was auctioned for Rs2.17 billion.

A total of 55,312 applications were submitted by the public at the One Window Cell. As many as 54,191 applications had been disposed of this year. An average of 150 applications were disposed of daily out of the 153 applications. The disposal rate thus was 98 per cent.

The maximum number of applications (6,948) received was for issuing transfer letters. Out of these 6,840 had been disposed of.

The Security Featured Documents Cell issued 16,417 documents on 14 different matters including allocation letter, completion letter, physical possession delivery, entitlement letter, exchange letter, exemption letter, certification of legal heirs, ownership requisition, PTN, physical possession, possession order, qabza patwari, sanction plan and transfer letter.

Roads constructed

The Engineering Wing completed the construction of the 3.4 kms long Bhogewal Road from the GT Road to Bund Road at a cost of Rs580 million during 2012. The 1.5 kms long Link Road from Bhogewal Road to China Road, Gujjarpura, was constructed at a cost of Rs60 million.

Improvement of the 1.5 kms long road from Model Bazar Gujjarpura to Chhota Ravi Drain cost Rs17 million. The project for construction of road from Neelam Block in Allama Iqbal Town to Multan Road, along the Khrak drain, was accomplished at cost of Rs142 million.

Improvement and widening of the 3.75 kms long Khybane Firdousi, from Showk Chowk to Shaukat Khanum Hospital, cost Rs120 million. While, Rs110 million was spent on the improvement and widening of the 3 kms long Abu Al-Hassan Isphahani Road from Akbar Chowk to the Faisal Town roundabout near Jinnah Hospital which has been removed. Work on the 2 kms long under-construction road  from Wapda Town Round About to Hakim Chowk was also near completion at a cost of Rs120 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2012.