LAHORE: Following complaints related to the paint fading issue at the bikers’ lane on Ferozepur Road, introduced as a pilot project, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) administration on Friday constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the matter.

Since a show-cause notice has also been served to the contractor, the committee comprising senior officials of the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa), Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) will soon submit its report to the LDA administration, Dawn learnt on Friday.

“The LDA Director General Mr Tahir Farooq has formed a technical committee on the issue of paint fading at certain sections of the bikers’ lane pilot project route. The committee includes officials from LDA, Tepa, and Nespak. The technical team also visited on Friday the bikers’ lane for inspection,” an LDA spokesperson said on Friday. “Approximately 65,000 people are benefiting from the bikers’ lane, resulting in a reduction in accidents on Ferozepur Road,” he claimed.

The spokesperson categorically refuted reports about spending of millions of rupees on paint, clarifying that the contractor used locally manufactured paint for the pilot project, which comes with a one-year maintenance guarantee. The local company is responsible for free repair and maintenance of the paint for one year. The contractor has not received any payment for the paint yet, he added.

The spokesperson said that local paint was used in the pilot project to make it cost-effective. The cost of the local paint, including a year of free repairs, is Rs153 per square foot, while imported paint would have cost Rs1,270 per square foot. If imported paint had been used, the project’s cost would have increased 8 to 10 times, he claimed.

“The committee has started evaluating all aspects of the pilot project, including the paint. Improvements are being made based on technical observations. The committee is also in contact with the paint company to enhance the quality of the paint,” he explained. The contractor, according to him, has also tested an improved paint formula on a section of the bikers’ lane, which is currently being observed. On the directions of LDA DG, a show-cause notice has been issued to the contracting company.

When contacted, DG Tahir Farooq said as it is a pilot project, the LDA is keenly monitoring it. “We have also ordered an inquiry into the matter to find out the reasons behind the glitch,” he added.

NOTIFICATION: The Punjab government on Friday notified the chairperson and members of the Punjab Water and Sanitation Authority (PWASA).

According to the notification, Punjab chief minister is the chairperson of the authority, and will also nominate the vice-chairman. The members include the Planning & Development Department Board chairman or its representative, not below the rank of additional secretary, finance department secretary or its representative, housing, urban development and public engineering department secretary or representative, local government and community development department secretary or representative, the managing director of Wasa, four technical experts from the fields of water supply, sanitation, hydrology, and law, and the director general of PWASA.

After issuance of the notification, PWASA has become operational, making it binding for the Wasa of Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, and Rawalpindi to report to the new administration of the authority, instead of their respective development authorities -- LDA, MDA, FDA, GDA, and RDA.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025