Staff Reporter Lahore
Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar has given the approval for the establishment of a new development authority in Lahore to further develop its upscale neighbourhoods.
The new authority, named the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority, will be set up under the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority Ordinance 2021.
As per the drafted Ordinance, the development authority will have the power to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, and to carry out development in posh areas. The city already has the Lahore Development Authority, which overlooks development and planning in the Lahore district.
But the latest authority will be headed by a chairman who, as per the Ordinance, will be Chief Minister Usman Buzdar himself. Also, the legislation, once approved, will enable the appointment of retired and serving officers of the armed forces as well as officers from the civil service as the director general of the authority.
The new authority will be an autonomous body set up to boost commercialization in Lahore and to promote vertical construction, “while maintaining the highest environmental standards, quality of life and modern facilities so as to develop a healthy and prosperous business community in the area,” the drafted legislation states. For which the authority will have the power to purchase and sell land as well as impose a fee.
