LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Friday unveiled a plan to modernise its building control mechanisms through introducing use of technology to bring transparency and efficiency in its working.
At a meeting presided over by Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, who also heads LDA as director general (DG), the authorities presented an action plan to modernise the town planning and building control mechanisms.
A proposal to create an IT-based control room was also reviewed at the meeting to improve the LDA’s building-control mechanism.
The meeting was briefed that a dashboard and digital record storage will be developed to improve building-control functions, making available map approval, record of construction and other details at one click.
The plan envisages monitoring using GIS technology to prevent illegal construction and commercialisation in the city, the meeting was told.
The meeting also reviewed a proposal to use drone technology for survey and follow-up in controlled areas of LDA.
Mr Randhawa sought a timeline for the implementation of the action plan and said that the use of GIS technology will help improve LDA’s surveillance systems.
He said instead of the manual files and old system of the town planning wing, property records would be compiled in a dashboard, adding that reforms are being carried out in the LDA on the lines of the corporate sector, using modern technology.
Additional Commissioner Abdul Salam Arif, Additional DG UP Khalid Goraya, Chief Town Planner II Azhar Ali, Chief Town Planner I Sidra Tabassum, Director SDC Kaleem Yousaf, Director IT Abdul Basit and other officers concerned also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, the LDA has launched a crackdown on commercialisation fee defaulters.
During the crackdown, the LDA teams took action against Roza Blanca Country Club and Icon Valley for non-payment of commercialisation fees.
LDA teams sealed the country club, established on 196 kanals on Raiwind Road, for defaulting on payment of Rs1.41 billion commercialisation fee. The club has been issued several notices over non-payment of the fees before the action, the officials say.
Similarly, the Icon Valley office on Raiwind Road was sealed for not paying Rs20 million fee to the LDA, after serving repeated notices.
The operation was carried out by LDA teams headed by Chief Town Planner II Azhar Ali.
LDA has tightened the noose around the defaulters on the instructions of Commissioner Randhawa.
In a separate operation, the LDA teams also conducted a grand operation against six illegal housing schemes on Multan Road.
The teams demolished roads, sewerage systems, offices, boundary walls and gates of different scheme, including Manga Valley Scheme, the LSD scheme near Samada village, Spring Garden scheme and Maraka Homes during the operation. Under-construction roads were demolished in Ahmad Farms, Maraka. The marketing office of the illegal Maraka Housing Society was also demolished.
The operation was carried out by the private housing schemes wing under the supervision of Additional DG UP Khalid Goraya.
Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2023
