September 05, 2006	Tuesday	Sha'aban 11, 1427

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LAHORE, Sept 4: Shahalami Market traders led by Haji Hanif Tayyab and Haji Maqsood Butt challenged the writ of the government by unsealing seven plazas hours after they were sealed by the district authorities in the busiest commercial centre of the city on Monday.

The plazas, built illegally ignoring all stipulations of the building code, had been declared as dangerous during a survey held in the wake of the collapse of a multi-storey arcade.

The survey was conducted by a committee formed by the City District Government Lahore to examine the stability of the other buildings in the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) controlled area.

It recommended the authorities to act swiftly against six commercial buildings to avoid further loss of life and property as it found foundations of these structures dangerous with serious flaws in their designs.

In the light of the report, an LDA team led by directors Akram Gujjar, Hafiz Moeenud Din, deputy directors Faheem Ahmad, Nawaz Warraich and a police contingent sealed each and every shop in the six plazas by Monday noon without any resistance.

But when the team went to seal the shops in Ibrahim Centre (6-B), the traders put up resistance and slapped LDA inspector Akmal Butt. The policemen accompanying the team took to their heels after the incident.

Adviser to chief minister Haji Hanif Tayyab, Qaumi Tajjir Ittehad leader Haji Maqsood Butt and Lahore PML president Mian Munir also came there and unsealed the buildings.

The LDA officers approached Rang Mahal police to register a case against the people who stopped the government functionaries from discharge of their duties.

The “obstructers” also came to the police station, contacted high-ups on cell phones and successfully got legal proceedings halted.

Both the parties were present in the police station till the filing of this report as reportedly district nazim and LDA chairman Mian Amer Mahmood had directed the LDA officials not to leave until registration of a case while the traders were making abortive efforts to contact him “for settling the issue”.

The seven plazas were 4-A Lodhi Arcade (five floors of which had collapsed on Aug 24), 6-B Ibrahim Centre, 7-B Jeddah Towers, 8-A Aslam Toys Centre, 9-A Toy Centre, 16-A Ali Centre and 16-B Rehman Plaza.

According to the committee’s report, Rehman Plaza, under construction since 2005, had been originally allowed a height of 60 feet but it was 110 feet high with 10 storeys plus two basements.

The report has declared its foundations and structural design as dangerous and urged the authorities to immediately stop its construction.

Ibrahim Centre has an approved height of 60 feet. But its owner has so far built nine storeys and two basements having 100 feet altitude. After finding structural flaws a ban on its construction has been sought.

The maximum height approved for Jeddah Complex was 50 feet in year 2004. But the owner has raised it to 90 feet with eight floors and two basements. The building has excessive dead load that can result in its collapse any time.

Ali Centre with six floors and two basements is 70 feet high while its approved altitude under the building plan was 50 feet. The committee found that owners of the building, constructed in 1995, had been effecting changes in its design that was weakening its structure and making it unsafe for shopkeepers and visitors.

Against the approved altitude of 50 feet, Aslam Toys Centre has been raised up to 90 feet as the building, constructed in 1993, has eight floors and two basements, while the owners are adding two more floors to the existing structure. The stability of the building is dubious due to a faulty structural design while the additional load will further aggravate the situation, the report said.

The Toy Centre originally had three storeys but the owner added one more floor and a basement to it while raising it 20 feet more than the approved altitude of 40 feet. Built in 1993, the edifice has poorly designed columns as the structure apparently looks unstable, the committee observed.

This reporter on Monday night made repeated attempts to get District Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood’s comments on the Shahalmi episode but all in vain. Everytime his cell phone was attended by one Salman who gave the usual answer that the district nazim was not available for at least one and half hour.

Asked if he could be available after that, the phone attendant said: “You should approach some other authority in the LDA or the official spokesperson of the City District Government Lahore to have comments on the issue as the district nazim is quite busy.”

Meanwhile, Ravi Town tehsil municipal administrator Agha Hamayun along with a team of Masti Gate police got demolished a dangerous residential building and vacated three more such houses in Mohalla Pehalwanan, Walled City, on Monday.