August 22, 2006	Tuesday	Rajab 26, 1427

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LAHORE, Aug 21: The building that collapsed in the early hours of Monday (seventh in the city during the current monsoon) was in an utter state of disrepair since long. Falling in the Ravi Town area, it had not been included on the list of buildings declared dangerous by the CDGL after a survey. A town official claimed that unauthorised construction of the third storey had resulted in the collapse of the building.

However, a source said that no fresh survey of dangerous or dilapidated buildings, especially those in the Walled City, had recently been carried out. He said most of the dangerous buildings existed in Ravi Town.

“The CDGL announces compensation for victims whenever there is a building collapse. However, it has no plan to get their occupants vacated and shifted to other places despite making claims,” he said.

He said the town administration had sought the assistance of the provincial and city district governments to deal with the problem of 3,331 dangerous and dilapidated buildings in the Walled City but to no avail.

It had also pointed out that ages-old buildings were nearing collapse and lives of their occupants were at risk.

“The towns administration is unable to deal with the problem on its own because owners and occupants of these buildings are neither interested in vacating them nor are willing to get them repaired,” said a CDGL official. He said that the maximum number of dangerous buildings were located in Azam Cloth Market where construction of basements was a routine.

The other areas where dilapidated buildings existed were Lohari Gate, Bhati Gate, Yakki Gate, Mori Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Sheranwala Gate, Taxali Gate, Masti Gate, Roshnai Gate, Said Mitha Bazaar, Paniwala Talab, Dabbi Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Chaitram Road, Kanari Bazaar, Koucha Shah Wali, Chouna Mandi and Bazaar Sada Karan.

District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood has reportedly claimed that 700 buildings in the city are the most dangerous and admitted that the lives of hundreds of families are in a constant danger.

Fifty of them are extremely dangerous, 350 dangerous and nearly 300 dilapidated, the nazim said and apprehended that they might collapse during on-going monsoon.

Reportedly, most of the dangerous and dilapidated buildings in the Walled City have been occupied by tenants who are paying nominal rent. Their owners want them to vacate the buildings and have stopped repairing them to make things difficult for the tenants. Occupants of some of the dilapidated properties are their owners who are poor and lack resources to get them repaired.

In the past, the CDGL had announced launch of an operation against dangerous and dilapidated buildings and issued notices to a number of their occupants. But nothing happened afterwards.