May 12, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1428

LAHORE, May 11: A division bench of the Supreme Court on Friday stayed till further orders construction of all buildings beyond three storeys in Lahore.

Comprising Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday and Justice Falak Sher, the bench also constituted a three-member commission to verify the construction plans of all such buildings according to the building bylaws.

Headed by justice (retd) Riaz Kiyani, the commission comprises a nominee of the vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology and a renowned architect Mr Kamil Khan Mumtaz.

Mr Farooq Hameed had moved the apex court against the construction of a multi-storey structure, Boulevard Heights, at 11 K, Gulberg’s Main Boulevard, that has `severely affected’ his house in the neighbourhood.

After hearing arguments by petitioner’s counsel Syed Mansoor Ali Shah besides that of the Lahore Development Authority and the Gulberg Town administration, the bench directed that construction of all multi-storey buildings (beyond three storeys) in Lahore be stopped immediately till further orders.

Mr Shah argued that anything related to structural engineering had been ignored for the construction of the multi-storey building, which was said to be the tallest in Lahore, on the Gulberg’s Main Boulevard. He added the structure also lacked other requirements like that of the environmental impacts.

Justice (retd) Malik Abdul Qayyum represented the LDA, while Punjab advocate general Aftab Ahmad Khan and four town nazims from Lahore were also asked questions over the issue by the apex court.

The petitioner counsel said there was no substantial answer from the LDA and the nazims when the court inquired about any setup to issue certification of structural engineering or any regular monitoring or inspection teams for the highrise buildings.

The court said that the three-member commission would verify the building plans and the legal compliance of all the building laws for each and every building under construction.

VIOLATIONS: There are more than 1,100 commercial buildings in Lahore that have been raised against rules and regulations.

Situated on 118 roads, these buildings were identified in a recent survey conducted by the administration.

The multi-storey structures are being built along major roads without leaving ample space for parking. The LDA which is commercialising major roads blindly, is only concerned about collecting fee. It has no structural engineers to monitor the construction of highrises.

The unplanned and unchecked commercialisation of residential areas has added to traffic mess in the city.