Walled City Lahore Authority Director General Kamran Lashari on Friday said the WCLA was drafting building control bylaws. He said the rules based on international standards of conservation would be finalised in 45 days.
Lashari expressed reservations about “overnight construction” of illegal plazas at a meeting held at WCLA office.
He said, “The Walled City will turn into a warehouse or a commercial piece of land if mechanisms of building control are not outlined.”
He said heritage buildings needed to be preserved, adding that the WCLA was in the process of drafting building control bylaws.
“These bylaws are based on international standards of conservation. These rules and regulations would be framed within 45 days,” he said.
DCO Nasim Sadiq said that there was a mafia behind illegal construction. The DCO said an operation was carried out on July 11 at Kashmiri Gate to pull down an illegal plaza. He said the TMA was aware of the illegal construction and was ready to take action against building owners.
Sadiq further said that the TMA would be instructed to get NOCs from WCLA for any demolition, construction or addition in a building in the Walled City.
Special Secretary Daood Bareech said that the local government departments would extend full support to the WCLA. He said the TMA would follow the WCLA instructions in any building control issue related to the Walled City. It was decided that a WCLA team be assigned to inspect the Walled City legal action would be taken by the government in cases of illegal construction.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2013.