LAHORE:Local Govt Minister Zeeshan Rafique on Tuesday reviewed progress of development schemes in 49 cities under the Punjab Development Programme (PDP).
The minister while chairing a meeting here expressed his satisfaction over the fact that 78 percent of water storage tanks have been completed under the ‘Maryam Nawaz's Sohna Punjab’ programme.
He said that 51 tanks were built by June, while 31 more underground water storage tanks have been constructed by mid-July. ‘Thus, 100 percent work on 82 tanks have been completed so far, while 70 percent work on 22 tanks have been completed’, he noted.
Zeeshan Rafique said that in the first phase, approval was given to build 105 underground tanks to prevent urban flooding. He said that more than 51 percent of the work on 124 drains has also been completed. ‘By June, 27 drains were built and by mid-July, 63 had been completed. So far, 70 to 90 percent of the construction of 26 drains has been completed’, he observed.
The minister directed the relevant authority to expedite the construction work on the remaining drains saying that due to deep excavation, the construction of underground water storage tanks and drains was a difficult task, which has been completed to a large extent.
Illegal, rundown buildings demolished Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) has executed a coordinated grand crackdown on structurally compromised and illegally constructed buildings across the district.
The intensive safety sweep focused on the high-density residential and commercial pockets of Data Ganj Bakhsh and Shalimar zones, spanning key localities such as Main GT Road, Baghbanpura, Islampura, Sanda Road, Abdali Road, and Ghorey Shah Road, resulting in the demolition of eight hazardous structures and the official sealing of four others due to severe architectural plan violations.
A critical highlight of the operation occurred on Ayub Road, where the enforcement teams demonstrated exceptional caution by pivoting to manual dismantling instead of using heavy machinery to remove illegal shuttering situated dangerously close to uninsulated high-voltage electricity wires, thereby averting potential power grid failures or catastrophic accidents. On Ghorey Shah Road and Kachupura, buildings with precariously tilted walls and those encroaching on public spaces were safely razed to eliminate immediate physical threats to pedestrians and motorists alike.
Deputy Commissioner Ali Ijaz has issued stringent directives to all zonal officers to accelerate the identification of structurally weak buildings and ensure that no illegal expansion goes unchecked.
