LAHORE: Various teams comprising 150 officials of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) have so far collected the data of more than 6,400 multistorey commercial buildings situated in housing schemes.

The survey has been launched in the light of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directions to streamline the issues related to commercialisation. These include data / information such as total area / measurement of the building, covered and setback area, number of floors / storeys, status of implementation or violation of building bylaws, provision of parking facilities, nature of use, general condition of building, structure, nature of businesses and pictures.

According to officials, the LDA plans to use the buildings’ data, recommendations of the survey and other information to update the existing integrated master plan 2021 of Lahore and its adjoining districts of Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib.

“Our teams have collected data of 6,400 buildings in Lahore,” LDA Director General Ms Amna Imran Khan said in a meeting held here in connection with the consultative process initiated to update the master plan.

The participants in the meeting observed that the master plan was a comprehensive document which should not deal with the land use of properties only and must cater for long-term planning in the fields of environment, economic activities, transport system, investment opportunities and other issues.

They were of the view that all the relevant departments should be taken on board and there must be cooperation and understanding to have an effective master plan in place.

“There is a dire need for increasing parking space for the high-rise buildings and bringing about necessary amendments to regulations,” the DG said.

The meeting decided to seek input of the general public as well as all the major stakeholders for the preparation of the master plan. It also decided to hold another meeting at Doongi ground near Mini Market, Gulberg on Thursday (today).

Temporary commercialisation permitted in the residential areas of Lahore by the LDA in the past had adverse impact on the routine businesses of the people, prompting them to oppose the policy by staging protest demonstrations. Similarly, the amendment to rules and regulations and notification of permitting pillar construction in residential structures also added to the inconvenience the people had already been facing in the form of ‘unbridled’ commercialisation.

Independent urban experts and official sources are of the view that it was the LDA that promoted commercialisation in non-designated areas after it failed to stop illegal activity, creating a lot of problems.

“Under a notification in 2014, the LDA itself started regulating 15,000 illegally constructed commercial structures. And it was the policy of temporary commercialisation allowed by the LDA governing body on two grounds — to legalise illegal commercial structures on an annual basis and generate revenue,” said an official source.

Before 2014, the LDA had introduced a similar policy for the land use rules in 2006. But people challenged it in the Lahore High Court which reportedly scrapped the LDA policy and advised it to study the subject and resolve the issue in a way that it didn’t affect the routine business of citizens. However, later in 2014, the LDA revived the policy and not only started legalising the illegal commercial structures but also allowed temporary commercialisation in residential areas.

“Since the temporary commercialisation policy was just for revenue generation, the LDA didn’t realise how it would affect peaceful environment. During the last couple of years, the LDA regularised 10,000 such properties,” he added.

Another policy the LDA introduced was allowing pillar construction in residential structures having more than two storeys for plot measuring 10 marla and above. Under this the LDA amended clause 2.6.1 of its building and zoning regulations. The objective behind amendment was to protect structures from the impact of earthquakes and people started treating the facility for commercial purposes.

According to an urban expert, allowing temporary commercialisation in the past was a mistake. “The city has been facing two major problems for long. First is traffic and second is parking. These both problems are due to illegal, temporary and permanent commercialisation,” he said. He called for a dedicated enforcement system to monitor pillar construction in residential structures.

An LDA official told this reporter that the Supreme Court banned both temporary and permanent commercialisation about three months ago. “A steering committee has been constituted to monitor pillar construction and its appropriate use under the building bylaws,” he said.

The LDA DG told Dawn that the survey had been launched owing to issues caused by commercialisation. It would help update the existing master plan, she added.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2018