LAHORE : After getting support from Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has announced a final crackdown on illegal and unapproved marriage halls/marquees operating across the provincial metropolis.
As per LDA’s record, over 150 marriage halls/marquees are established illegally in the city resulting in serious civic problems, including road blockage and traffic jams due to use of main roads, side lanes and green belts as free parking lot.
On Thursday, LDA DG during a case at SC requested the judges to bail out LDA from this mess and told the court that recently LDA sealed over 150 marriage halls in different city localities but almost all of them got stay orders from civil courts and started working. The LDA officials said the court asked LDA DG to submit a complete status of marriage halls before them next week and meanwhile start action against illegal and unapproved marriage halls/marquees in the city.
“You have our full support in this issue and no civil judge will issue a stay order against sealing of an illegal/unapproved marriage hall/marquee,” said Chief Town Planner Khalid Sheikh while quoting the honourable bench.
He said LDA DG has called a meeting Friday (today) to make a concrete action plan to seal illegal/unapproved marriage halls/marquees.
A visit to different city localities revealed that majority of provincial capital’s marriage halls are openly violating building rules by not providing enough parking place for their customers resulting in severe traffic jams lasting for hours in peak hours time. The situation is worst on Saturday and Sunday while on weekdays the problem also exists.
It is revealed that most of the marriage halls located along main roads do not have ample space for parking and their customers and their guests park their vehicles on main roads, side lanes and green belts. Many marriage halls are also using their parking lots and basements to earn revenues at the cost of citizens.
The minimum land required for setting up a marquee is eight kanal whereas at least four kanal land is necessary for constructing a marriage hall with two kanal land to be left vacant for parking vehicles. None of the marriage halls/marquee have fulfilled these conditions, LDA officials said.
Javed Kashmiri, a resident of Gulshan-e-Ravi, said the area is facing worst situation and in case of an emergency none of the residents can reach hospital.
He said this is because there are over 25 marriage halls on the main road of Gulshan-e-Ravi just within a distance of one kilometer. He said most of the marriage halls didn’t have proper parking place. He added that visitors of dozens of marriage halls, which are operative in the Moon Market, Gulshan-e-Ravi also used to park their vehicles on the main road.
College Road, Township is also a classic example of this situation where dozens of marriage halls were established over a passage of last 10 years. It is strange to note that none of the marriage halls have proper parking places but LDA allowed them to run their business with ease.
Wapda Town, Nespak, and other nearby housing colonies are also facing the similar situation.
As per LDA’s record, illegal and unapproved marriage halls/marquees that might be sealed during LDA’s upcoming grand operation are located on Upper Mall, Canal Road, Lalpul, Tajpura, Naya Pul, Canal Road, Harbanspura, marriage halls near University of Gujrat, Canal Road, near Ring Road Interchange, Canal Road, near Jallo Morr, Canal Road, in Sahafi Colony, Kahna Nau Ferozepur Road, Kartaba Chowk, Ferozepur Road, Attari, Ferozepur Road, Mouza Chandrai, Ferozepur Road, Kahna Flyover Defence Road, near Khiaban-e-Amin, Defence Road, New Garden Town, Shadman, Quaid-e-Azam Town, Peco Road, Allama Iqbal Town, Wahdat Road, Johar Town, Wafaqi Colony, Gulberg, Raiwind Road, Jubilee Town, Thokar Niaz Baig and Sabzazar.