Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to revise the legislation governing the development of housing schemes on agricultural land, according to news sources.
LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, in his judgement, provided 12 points of guidance to the authorities on the petition filed against the construction of housing schemes upon agricultural land and green parks. The court ordered that the modified legislation be presented to the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, the Cabinet, and the provincial assembly for approval.
Moreover, the salient judgement points were as follows:
• The relevant authorities and departments should ensure the provision of civic facilities in all housing societies
• In absence of such amenities, city administrators should provide the facilities themselves and charge private developers of the involved schemes for these services
• Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Lahore Metropolitan Corporation (LMC) are instructed to identify land for the establishment of small urban forests
• Development of green belts along major roads in the city
• Execution of awareness campaigns for vertical building developments to curb the use of agricultural land for housing societies
• Formulation of laws to limit the housing scheme land
• The high court further ordered the DG LDA to provide the High Court registrar with a monthly progress report on master plan development.
• Use public-private partnerships to build urban forests with funds from philanthropists
• Allocation of 30% of land for the construction of apartments and high-rise buildings in each housing project
• In each housing society, 2% of the land to be set aside for a graveyard as per the Punjab Private Housing Schemes Rules
In the said judgement, the LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan has directed the LDA to complete the master plan by December 2021 and prohibited the provincial government from transferring the Director-General of the authority until the city’s master plan is completed.
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
