Daily Times

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) generated Rs 2.70 billion revenue through commercialisation process, including Rs 2.35 billion under the head of permanent commercialisation and Rs 350 million against annual/temporary commercialisation during 2016.

However, as many as 1,200 properties were sealed for not paying the commercialisation fee.

While Rs 3.21 billion were spent on improvement of road network project, revealed the annual report of the LDA, which was shared with media persons here
on Sunday.

Besides executing more than half of the civil work of Pakistan’s first mass transit project – Orange Metro Train, the authority has claimed that construction of the first-ever flyover at Kahna Railway Crossing with a total outlay of Rs 3 billion will serve as a trend setter for more project under such arrangement.

According to the report, construction of access road from Ferozepur Road to LDA City, widening/improvement and rehabilitation of Defence Road from LDA City Access Road to Hadyara Drain Bridge and widening of a bridge over Hadyara Drain on Defence Road were completed with a total outlay of Rs 1.80 billion.

Meanwhile, construction of four-lane dual carriageway in Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute, Lahore was carried out at a cost of Rs 554.95 million.

The Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning Agency (TEPA) of the LDA completed more than 53 percent work on flyover on Katch Jail Road in Kot Lakhpat Area, connecting Moulana Shaukat Ali Road to Ferozepur Road. The project will be completed with a cost of Rs 1 billion, the report revealed.

“The LDA Metropolitan Planning Wing carried out 74 operations against illegal housing schemes in the city during 2016. It served notices to 182 housing scheme for slow pace of execution of development works in these localities, besides sealing offices of 35 schemes for failure in executing transfer of mortgaged deed of public utility plots in favour of
the LDA.”

It said that demolition of illegal constructions over violations of building byelaws were carried out in 45 housing schemes. Preliminary planning permission was granted to seven housing schemes while technical approval was given for four housing societies.

“Amendment in Master Plan for Lahore Division 2016 was notified in July-2016 for Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana and Kasur districts. By virtue of this notification, a number of pending cases regarding approval of private housing schemes/ land sub-divisions in Lahore Division shall be processed, as previously there was no policy document in many tehsil/ towns of these districts,”
it added.

It added that all the 2,447 applications seeking permanent commercialisation were disposed of, while 3,860 applications received for approval of building plans were also disposed of.