The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has declared that 70% of Lahore’s construction is illegal. The city’s administration is preparing recommendations to deal with the challenge. Lately, the local government started a drive against unofficial construction and land encroachments, ordering the demolition of illegal buildings across the city on citizens’ complaints.
There are also many construction projects that have been declared illegal by the government, but people continue to invest in those projects. The local government decided to charge a penalty amount from the owners of the buildings as a regularisation fee. Once the owners of such structures pay the charges, these buildings would not face the risk of demolition. The administration recovered Rs 17 billion in regularisation fees which contributed to the government’s revenue.
Pakistan’s rising urbanisation has triggered unbridled construction activities to meet the needs of the growing populations in these cities. However, not all of these constructions abide by existing laws, leading to adverse consequences on governance systems, the environment, people’s health, transportation services, and overall citizen well-being. In extreme cases, illegal constructions have resulted in losing lives and property.
Leave a Reply