THE Lahore Development Authority (LDA) needs to take up building bylaws and other related affairs in the adjoining districts of Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib. The urban localities these districts now fall under the control of the LDA.

Presently, the LDA has limited its working to reject or approve development of private housing schemes in these districts leaving other issues such as the implementation of building bylaws to local departments.

The LDA was declared a regional development authority by the Punjab government after an abnormal growth of the Lahore city toward Kasur and Sheikhupura was observed. The core objective of extending the status of the LDA was to ensure implementation of building and zoning rules in these districts in order to develop them along the Lahore pattern.

Urban experts say though the expansion of the LDA into a regional body is a good and bold step, many more things are needed to be implemented.

“I appreciate the idea as it will help resolve various urban development issues in Lahore division,” says Prof Ghulam Abbas Anjum, dean of the Department of Architecture and Planning, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.

“The things which, however, need clarity are the halting the migration of adjoining districts’ population to Lahore and expansion of its residential areas to Kasur and Nankana Sahib and vise-a-versa.”

The other important areas include developing the hierarchy of settlements, decentralisation of power and making a strategic development plan. He says local governments are dealing with building control and other city planning affairs in these districts. He said as the Ravi Riverfront was being executed, the LDA would have to at least take over the building and city planning affairs of Sheikhupura.

“A number of rural localities of Sheikhupura fall in the Ravi Riverfront project. If the LDA doesn’t take over the building and city growth affairs of Sheikhupura, there will be complications in the future,” Mr Anjum said.

He said if the LDA did not deal with building affairs, it would fail in curtailing the migration trends in these districts. He said the LDA should set up its sub offices in these districts.

“If it establishes offices there, the people of those districts wouldn’t come to LDA’s Lahore office for day-to-day issues,” he added. He advised the government to make clear the role and scope of work of the LDA in amended rules.

Talking to Dawn, LDA Chief Metropolitan Planner Waheed Butt said LDA’s scope was limited to deal with housing schemes and land use issues.

“Though the LDA has been declared a regional body, building control affairs are being dealt by town municipal administrations in districts. So it has yet to be decided whether the LDA or the TMA will takeover the things finally,” he said.

The City District Government of Lahore’s (CDGL’s) new strategy to fight dengue may help it eradicate mosquito breeding and growth in the provincial capital.

According to the plan, the presence of entomologists with field teams has been declared mandatory for daily dengue surveillance. Similarly, the teams will have to take photos of dengue larvae, place of the larvae and its destruction and send it to the CDGL headquarters through android mobile phones every day.

“The new plan seems to be very affective to monitor the staff working in the field,” says a senior official.

“No official can avoid his presence in the field because they’re bound to provide information to the quarters concerned by uploading pictures with relevant particulars.”

He called the on-going season very critical because of rapid dengue larva spread and urged the public at large to help the government eradicate the dengue mosquitoes.

khalidpak284@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, September 17th , 2014

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