Daily Times

The monitoring system of the local government’s planning department in Punjab’s provincial capital has completely collapsed. During the fiscal year 2024-25, no structured records of notices, sealing actions, or FIRs against illegal constructions in Lahore’s nine administrative zones were maintained. Alarmingly, reports suggest that records in multiple cases were deliberately removed to protect unauthorized constructions.

Sources reveal that the primary reason behind this failure is administrative negligence, lack of accountability, and a deliberate non-implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs). In numerous instances, notices were issued against properties constructed without approved maps, FIRs were registered, and demolition plans were drafted-yet the official records of these actions have either gone missing or were never compiled.

An investigation into the data compiled on illegal constructions across Lahore’s nine zones during 2024-25 has revealed that much of it is either fabricated or manipulated. This systematic tampering appears to be an orchestrated effort by concerned officials to protect illicit constructions by erasing crucial evidence.

The following nine zones have been identified as the most affected by unauthorized developments: 1. Nishtar Zone – Highest number of illegal constructions, 2. Wagah Zone – Second highest, 3. Data Ganj Bakhsh Zone – Third highest, 4. Shalimar Zone – Fourth place, 5. Ravi Zone – Fifth place, 6. Aziz Bhatti Zone – Sixth place, 7. Samanabad Zone – Seventh place, 8. Iqbal Zone – Eighth place and 9. Gulberg Zone – Ninth place.

Reports indicate that large-scale commercial constructions have been deliberately concealed in these zones, many of which have been carried out without obtaining the requisite approvals.

These violations directly contravene the Punjab Local Government Act 2022 and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Building Regulations 2019. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Metropolitan Corporation, and respective zoning offices’ planning departments have been implicated in these activities.

Sources suggest that a well-organized network is facilitating unauthorized commercial constructions in Lahore by bribing officials to bypass regulatory approvals. To ensure these projects proceed unchecked, records of notices, sealing orders, and FIRs have been systematically removed, effectively preventing legal action.

Concerned citizens have urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Chief Secretary Punjab to take immediate notice of the local government’s monitoring failure. They demand a thorough investigation into missing records, accountability for officials involved in the cover-up, and immediate intervention to halt all unauthorized constructions in the city.

The critical question remains: Will the Punjab government enforce its own laws, or will the corrupt officials responsible for legitimizing illegal constructions continue to operate with impunity?