LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has notified new standard operating procedures for its enforcement and inspection regime, introducing a fully digital system intended to make action against illegal construction and illegal commercial properties more transparent and more effective.
Under the new SOPs, notices issued through digital file processing will carry a QR code, while geo-tagged photographs and the associated record will be monitored digitally. Notices will be issued for illegal construction, violation of land-use rules and non-payment of outstanding dues.
Sealing and demolition proceedings against illegal construction will also be monitored digitally. Sealed properties will only be de-sealed after payment of a fine, restoration, or regular approval. For the first time in the LDA’s history, the record of the de-sealing of any property will also be compiled digitally — closing what has long been the least documented stage of the enforcement cycle.
The new system spells out the powers and responsibilities of the Assistant Director, Deputy Director and Director Town Planning. Before any demolition or sealing action is initiated against a property, the concerned Chief Town Planner will be informed.
A special committee has been constituted to decide on the identification of illegal commercial properties and on the issuance, withdrawal or correction of notices. The Chief Town Planner LDA will head the committee, with the Chief IT Officer, Director Revenue, Director Law and the concerned director serving as members.
Under the SOPs, properties have been divided into three categories. The committee will examine matters relating to the issuance, withdrawal or correction of notices for any property, and will take into account the complete planning, legal and revenue position of each case.
The committee will also examine complaints relating to a property, stay orders and other judicial matters, along with outstanding dues, digital records and site-related information. The committee’s decision and all supporting record will be uploaded to the digital system, while any subsequent change or correction will be recorded through the system’s audit trail.
Owners of properties in illegal commercial use will be given 15 days before action is taken, while in cases of illegal construction the window will be five days.
Enforcement has historically been the most disputed function of the LDA, with property owners alleging arbitrary sealing and the authority citing widespread violations of land-use and building bylaws. An auditable digital trail, QR-verified notices and a documented de-sealing record address the two points at which discretion has most often been questioned — how a notice comes to be issued, and how a sealed property comes to be reopened.
The notification of the new SOPs has been formally issued by the Director Admin on the directions of Director General LDA Tahir Farooq.
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