Drive against dangerous buildings begins today

* Nearly 300 buildings found violating Section 141 of Local Govt Ordinance 2001
* Building owners asked to carry out repairs or pay Rs 15,000 fine

By Khawaja Naseer

LAHORE: The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) will start an operation from Saturday against dangerous buildings situated in posh areas of the city.

Town planning staff will register cases against owners of the said buildings for violating Section 141 of the Local Government Ordinance 2001.

After the restructuring of the city’s six towns into nine, most of the dangerous buildings fall into Allama Iqbal Town, Shalimar Town and Nishtar Town. Within these three towns, these buildings are mostly situated in Ichhra, Samnabad, Bastami Road, Faisal Town, Ferozpur Road, Mughalpura, Baghbanpura, Mozang, Islampura and the adjoining localities of Lahore Cantt including Badian Road.

Relevant authorities of all three towns told Daily Times that notices had been served, places identified, and addresses of these buildings had been published in national daily newspapers. In some cases, first information reports (FIRs) had been registered against the owners of these buildings and their challans had been forwarded to relevant magistrates to process fines against them.

Malik Imtiaz Awan, municipal officer Allama Iqbal Town, said: “There were 114 buildings out of which 64 were declared most alarming. These were situated in Samnabad, Ichra, Bastami Road and Mozang”. He said that FIRs had been registered against the owners of these buildings for violating the rules, but added that owners were also being compelled to carry out suitable repairs of the buildings.

In Shalimar Town, 125 dangerous buildings were identified out of which 25 were designated most alarming, said Chaudhry Shafiq, municipal officer Shalimar Town. He said that district authorities had proposed that the Lahore Electric Supply Company and the regional authorities of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Company disconnect the connections of these dangerous buildings.

In Nishtar Town, 35 buildings located near Ferozpur Road, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Raiwind, Khana and Faisal Town were declared dangerous.

A senior CDGL official said that bulldozing these buildings was not possible without making alternate arrangements, as it would displace thousands of people. He said the government could only compel them to repair the buildings or pay a fine of Rs 15,000.

Farooq Ahmad a resident of one of the dangerous buildings in Ichhra, said the building had been with his family for generations. He said that he and his three brothers, being low-grade employees of a private company, could not afford to repair the house. However, he said they would try to pay the fine.

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