LDA DG for simplifying maps’ approval process

LAHORE:Director General Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Tahir Farooq Friday called for making maps’ approval process more simple for the business community under Ease of Doing Business.

Chairing a meeting of LDA Town Planning Wing in LDA Office Johar Town, the DG said period of obtaining NOCs from TEPA, WASA, Civil Defence and environment department should be monitored.

He took an important decision to prevent illegal constructions and directed demolition of illegal constructions and also disconnection of their water connections. The meeting also discussed the performance report of the Town Planning Wing for the last 6 months. Town Planning Wing issued more than 3,500 residential building plans, 450 commercial plans, 230 commercialisation cases and 530 completion certificates in the last 6 months.

Action was taken against more than 1,800 properties for illegal construction and commercialisation. The participants were told about the ongoing reforms in the Town Planning Wing. They were told that a test run of online approval of maps would be done next month with the support of JS Bank (Zindagi). The meeting was told that the e-library of prototype maps in the Town Planning Wing will be completed soon.

The DG ordered a special environment counter with the support of environment department on one window cell.

About illegal constructions, he ordered demolition of illegally constructed structures and disconnection of water connections of such properties. In this connection, he directed WASA teams along with LDA teams they should disconnect the water connections of such structures. He ordered speeding up recovery campaign against commercial fee defaulters. Installation of boards and geo-tagging on the under construction properties were also discussed and the DG ordered completion of the process of installation of boards and geo-tagging as soon as possible. Chief Town Planner 2 Azhar Ali, Chief Town Planner 1 Sidra Tabassum, Director Finance Kashif Imran, Director Revenue Bisma, and all directors of Town Planning attended the meeting.