LAHORE, April 8: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool urged on Tuesday the need for the application and adoption of the building laws so as to avoid faulty construction which could lead to a human tragedy.

He urged architects to highlight local culture and keep in mind weather while designing buildings.

The governor was speaking at a three-day Architects Convention organized by the Institute of Architects Pakistan, Lahore chapter, at a local hotel.

He said the government needed to take a lead role in placing this discipline in the right perspective. The existing construction procedures and planning documents needed a complete revamp.

The governor said the issue of licensing was important and a central body like the Institute of Architects Pakistan could play an important role in policy formulation.

He said there was a need to critically look into the building by-laws, rationalize them and avoid overlapping. He said he would direct the local government, housing and physical planning departments and the planning and development board to look into these issues and firm up recommendations for a decision.

The governor urged the need for the proper enforcement of municipal building laws without any fear or favour, saying the recent incident in Rawalpindi was a point for serious pondering. The plaza, which collapsed there, was reportedly being constructed without any proper sanction, he said.

He said the training of supportive staff was equally important, asking the institute to take up this issue with Tevta for proper and formal training of the staff on a sustainable basis and on professional lines.

IAP Lahore Chapter Chairman Dr Mahmood Husain said the services of architects should be utilized in government, semi-government and private organizations.

He said because of bureaucratic bottlenecks, most of the existing positions in government were either lying vacant or being occupied by irrelevant people.

Mr Husain said the absence of firm government policies, non-uniformity in the by-laws and lack of their proper implementation had resulted in haphazard suburban sprawl, making some of the posh areas of Lahore and other cities chaotic slums.

He said the convention included the 6th Mehdi Ali Mirza Award ceremony where 52 young architects from all over the country, who had topped their respective institutions over the last 11 years, would be given awards.