Daily Times

Sir: As we go commercial right and left on top gear, more and more shopping malls, markets, plazas and huge buildings are fast becoming common in different parts of the provincial metropolis.

There are some civic bodies working whose main task is to keep a close eye on these new huge constructions to ensure no rules and regulations are violated in any manner and the building bye-laws are strictly followed.

But it is a bitter fact that in reality neither rules and regulations nor building bye-laws are generally been followed in the new constructions which are started and completed generally while the authorities concerned look the other way. Anyone can easily guess whether this is done purposely after palms being greased or phone calls received from influential and well-connected highly placed quarters.

Residents of DHA Lahore in general and of Sector P are these days quite disturbed with the speedy construction of a multi-storey plaza short of Bhatta Chowk which they say is yet another instance out of numerous of illegal construction.

The DHA residents say that there are restrictions on height of buildings in DHA as all incoming aircrafts overfly it for landing purposes. They also say that this supposedly illegal high rise multi-storey plaza is taking place with the patronage of a federal minister who hails from walled city of Lahore.

A huge multi-storey building in Bhallah Chowk, Johar Town Lahore is yet another example of how the civic bodies’ officials work. The building was closed eyes allowed to be raised to the fourth floor and almost completed and then the LDA officials came, noticed its being illegal and put up a notice to this effect on the front of the building. It is a commonly understood fact that once a building is constructed to the roof level, legally or illegally, it becomes somewhat difficult to demolish it on ground of its being illegal.

Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif is requested to kindly look into this grave matter of illegality of tall plaza near Bhatta Chowk, because it poses serious threats to all aircrafts flying over the DHA to land at the new Lahore Airport.

MOMINA BILAL

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, July 9^th , 2017.