RAWALPINDI: The Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) will be adopting new building by-laws in the coming week.

The CCB separated from the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) in February 2003, but has not made its own building bylaws in the last 15 years, relying instead on the RCB’s.

However, a senior CCB official told Dawn, new building by-laws need to be adopted in the cantonment areas and suggestions have been sought from elected members.

Meeting to hear elected members’ proposals today

“The cantonment authorities are not sure about the next elections, so it wants the approval of the elected members for the new by-laws,” he explained. These officials were elected in 2015 and are set to retire middle of this year.

Residential and commercial areas under the CCB’s administrative control are not the same as the RCB areas; there are fewer commercial areas and the streets in residential areas are narrower, which is why building by-laws specific to these areas are needed, he said.

The proposal for the by-laws has been handed over to the elected members, and the board will hold a meeting today (Monday).

“The elected members will give their suggestions according to the requirements of their wards and after this consultation the CCB will adopt new building by-laws,” he said.

When contacted, CCB Vice President Raja Irfan Imtiaz confirmed that new building by-laws will be adopted soon and suggestions have been sought from elected members in this regard.

“We want to allow double-storey structures in narrow streets in densely-populated areas. The CCB did not allow the reconstruction of double-storey houses in narrow streets in areas such as Rahimabad, Dhoke Chiraghdin and Marrir Hassan,” he said.

People have building double-storey houses illegally, he said, but after this they will be able to build a second floor after paying the civic body a fee and fulfilling the legal requirements.

Currently, some residential areas permit a room of more than 190sq metres on the rooftop, but under the new by-laws this would be increased to 400sq metres.

He said they were also asked to recommend new commercial areas.

“There are some areas, such as Harley Street and the Chaklala Scheme III main roads to be included in the commercial areas as there are many schools, boutiques and beauty salons in these areas which will be given legal status and commercialisation fees will be collected from these outlets,” he said.

Elected members will present their recommendations at the board meeting, and they will be approved after consultations with CCB officials and official members of the board.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2019