LAHORE: The Punjab government has started planning to make Lahore Pakistan’s first “Dust-Free City.” Under this plan, stricter Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be introduced for all construction activities in the city to reduce environmental pollution.
According to the detail, Secretary Housing and Urban Development Noor-ul-Amin Mengal visited the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) headquarters.
DG LDA Tahir Farooq gave a detailed briefing on ongoing and upcoming development projects. A detailed initiative has also been launched to transform Lahore into a dust-free city. As part of the campaign, construction regulations will be tightened to control environmental effects.
Meanwhile, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott visited Zardari House where she met with PPP leaders Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari.
Speaking at the LDA meeting, Secretary Mengal said that all government departments will follow uniform standards for development work. He added that new laws will be introduced for the design of commercial buildings’ outer areas. Environmental protection will be a top priority in all future development projects.
He said applying proper standards will help ensure sustainability and better management. He also noted that poorly designed and colorful commercial buildings spoil the city’s look.
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A comprehensive plan will be followed to ensure Lahore’s beauty and sustainable growth. All departments will be required to work under the same development standards. DG LDA also briefed the meeting on the digitization of property records and the online approval process for building plans.
He said the LDA has crossed a record milestone by generating Rs25 billion in revenue for the first time. He added that 990 kanals of government property worth billions of rupees have been recovered. A digital monitoring unit will be used to keep a close watch on LDA-controlled areas.
In the same meeting, a team from NESPAK gave a presentation on the proposed Yellow Line Bus Service project.
On the other hand, a special meeting on the Punjab Development Programme was held under the chair of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. In this meeting, development plans for 189 cities across Punjab were approved.
Under the partnership with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, various development projects will be completed in different cities. The World Bank’s PICP project will cover development work in 15 cities, while the Asian Development Bank’s DREAM-II project will focus on 4 cities.
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Additionally, 11 cities have been marked for priority development under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), and projects in 16 cities are already nearing completion. Overall, 144 cities are included in Punjab’s ADP, where development projects will be carried out under the Punjab Development Programme.
It was also agreed to establish a Project Management Unit (PMU) to ensure proper completion of the programme. The chief minister directed all departments to work together for the successful execution of the projects. She also ordered action to introduce by-laws for a uniform shop design across the province.
Maryam Nawaz said that after the completion of the Punjab Development Programme, every city in the province should look visually beautiful and well-planned.
