LAHORE: LDA allows commercial activity on many roads

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Contrary to its commercialization policy, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has allowed commercial activities on several roads.

Some days back, the authority carried out a grand operation against what it claimed illegal commercialization and sealed over 150 shops, including showrooms, restaurants, real estate and other business offices, etc, on Khayaban-e-Jinnah.

The LDA’s operation started early morning as its Town Planning and Enforcement Directorate officials reached Khayaban-e-Jinnah (the road leading from Shaukat Khanum Hospital to Raiwind road) with all the necessary machinery, manpower and a heavy contingent of police.

After the operation, LDA officials claimed that they had sealed more than 150 business ventures, including three marriage halls, two bakeries, several small and medium shops, real estate offices, a number of fast food restaurants. All these plots fell in the category of residential pieces of land as per the scheme plan, they added.

They said further commercialization along the road had already been banned under the new commercialization policy, adding the staff had also demolished several encroachments and illegal constructions during the action.

The authority had started to implement the commercial policy approved in October last year, they said. Sources in LDA revealed that, soon after the operation against illegal commercialization, the authority had started receiving telephone calls from the influential.

Consequently, the policy was relaxed to let most of the shops, show rooms and business ventures on Khayaban-e-Jinnah carry on their business activities within 24 hours of the operation.

The LDA’s action at Khayaban-e-Jinnah was the first proper operation against illegal commercialization. Its failure has not only brought bad name to the Punjab government and the LDA but also blocked the way of any similar operations in future. Residents of other city localities wanted to know on whose directions the illegal commercial activity had been allowed.

They said if the ongoing commercial business on Khayaban-e-Jinnah was not wrong, why the LDA had sealed over 150 shops. They have demanded action against the LDA officials if they had carried out the operation to settle their personal scores or to harass among the business community for some other motives.

A senior LDA official said the roads not permitted for future commercial use included Main Boulevard, Shadbagh, Main Boulevard, Sabzazar Scheme, Main Boulevard, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Tollinton Market Road, Shadman, Poonch Road, Samanabad Campus Bridge Road, Garden Town, Qazi Esa Road, Faisal Town, Shabbir Usmani Road, New Garden Town, Shah Jillani Road, Main Boulevard, PIA Scheme, Main Boulevard, Joher Town (Maulana Shaukat Ali to Shaukat Khanum Hospital), Main Boulevard, Joher Town (Canal Road Link), Main Boulevard, Joher Town (Doctor Hospital link), By-pass Road, Johar Town (Expo Centre), Khayaban-e-Jinnah, Canal Bank Road, Link Raiwind Road-Aitchison Scheme Road, Raiwind Road, Maulana Shaukat Ali Road (from Canal Bank Road to Jinnah Hospital), Main Boulevard, Shadman (Nallah Drain to Shah Jamal Round About), Wahdat Road (Faiz Road Intersection to Multan Road), Ferozepur Road (UBD Canal to Kalma Chowk), Multan Road (Chowk Yatim Khana to Defence Road).

However, all kinds of new commercial ventures are being carried out on these roads, with the LDA acting as a silent spectator. No LDA official is ready to speak over the issue on record. When contacted, LDA Town Planning director Um e Laila did not bother to pick up her cell phone. Director General LDA was also not available for comments.