Lahore: Commissioner Lahore Division Dr Mujtaba Paracha has said that high-rise buildings are the need of the hour in Lahore, a news source reported. He further commented that massive population increases and urban migration trends had made the construction of high-rise buildings an imperative.
The commissioner was chairing a meeting to discuss various matters relating to urban planning in the city.
He further said that according to the instructions and vision conveyed by the PM, high-rise buildings in the cities could save agricultural land based around the urban centres – as well as in the green areas within. He remarked that vertical expansions in the country were necessary at this stage, and that horizontal expansions of cities must be curbed through different strategies. These measures may include changes in existing bylaws, easing out the process of NOC issuance for high-rise constructions, better traffic management, and making every process time-bound; among other things.
The meeting was told that the High-rise Buildings Act 2019 is under preparation.
Lahore Development Authority Vice chairman SM Imran said that in the past, a temporary commercialisation policy developed by the LDA raised many issues. The incumbent leadership of LDA is working to resolve these concerns.
He further informed the meeting that the issuance of NOCs was being made easy and time-bound to attract business and high-rise building investors. Experts of all fields had been included in the planning phase of the city’s master plan.
Lahore Mayor Mubashar Javed told the meeting that road capacity, traffic management, provision of sewerage, water, un-interrupted electricity supply, and the impact of socio-economic factors were all big challenges to deal with; when planning high-rise building constructions in the city.
