LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has told the allottees of plots in LDA City Housing Scheme (Phase-I) to start depositing instalments of development charges by June 15 or they will have to pay mark-up of 17.5 per cent after the deadline.

The warning was issued after the authority decided against extending the deadline beyond June 15.

According to a spokesman, initially the last date for depositing the charges was April 7, but due to the situation arising out of Covid-19 pandemic, the deadline was extended thrice for the convenience of plot holders.

“The authority has now decided not to extend the cut-off date any further and called upon the plot owners in LDA City for paying the amount due by this day positively to avoid mark-up on late payments,” the spokesman said in a press release on Sunday.

“Late payment of development charges may result in slowing down of the pace of ongoing development work, escalation in cost of development of road network and other infrastructure in the scheme as well as delay in handing over possession of plots to the owners,” he added.

UNDERPASS: Civil work on the new Firdous Market, Gulberg underpass has formally been launched after engineers completed test-piling to assess hardness of the soil. The civil work began with regular piling, while 900 piles would take around a month to complete.

“As the completion of 900 piles will take 30 days, you need to complete the rest of the work in two months. The project must be completed within the stipulated timeframe of 90 days,” LDA Chief Engineer Habibul Haq Randhawa said while speaking to the engineering team engaged in the project during his visit to the site.

He said completion of the project would end traffic congestion, blockade and other traffic issues at the intersection connecting Cavalry Ground from Centre Point, Firdous Market with MM Alam Road etc.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2020