New Master Plan Of Lahore To Be Finalized In A Year: VC LDA

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Vice Chairman S.M. Imran on Monday said that new industrial areas were being added in Master Plan of Lahore to cater to the future needs of the industrial sector

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Apr, 2021 ) :Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Vice Chairman S.M. Imran on Monday said that new industrial areas were being added in Master Plan of Lahore to cater to the future needs of the industrial sector.

The new master plan will be finalized in a year, he added.

He was speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) where LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah presented the address of welcome and highlighted the issues being faced by the business community.

The LDA Vice Chairman said that a Help Desk of LDA would be established at Lahore Chamber soon, adding that it would play a pivotal role in resolving the issues of business community in shortest possible time.

He said that any decision regarding the industrial units which fell in the area of Ravi Riverfront development project would be taken in full consultation with the stakeholders. "The business community will be fully facilitated in this matter plan," he added.

He further stated that the issue of the relatively high water tariff for the industrial sector in Lahore as compared to other cities in Punjab was being looked into. He said that the issue of the Holiday Park industrial estate would be resolved soon.

LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah said that the business community appreciated the vision of the Prime Minister regarding the Ravi Riverfront Development Project as it would enhance the growth rate of housing, construction and many allied sectors.

Mian Tariq Misbah said that in the planning stage of this multi-trillion rupees project, the industrial units located in and around this area, especially the steel rolling units were being marked and sealed.

Notices were being served to the industrial units under the Section 4 of Land Acquisition Act. It is pertinent to mention that hundreds of industrial units were located in this area since many years which were providing substantial employment opportunities, he added.

He recommended that all measures should be taken in consultation with the stakeholders and this affair should be handled with care and responsibility.

The LCCI President said that there was insufficient land in and around Lahore for industrial investment and expansion as there were only two major industrial estates in Lahore i.e. Sundar and Quaid-e-Azam industrial Estate which had reached their full capacity. This was the main reason that the cost of industrial land had gone extremely high in Lahore. LCCI had always advocated for re-zoning of Lahore Division to accommodate the needs of future expansion of industrial sector, he added.

He said that due to the lack of industrial zoning, the industry was overburdened by high rate of conversion fee for land use charged by LDA (20 per cent of the value according to DC rate). He said that LCCI had also proposed that all existing industrial units should be regularized without any prescribed fee and conversion charges.

Mian Tariq Misbah added that in a recent development, the government had removed Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana from limits of LDA. This would limit the powers of Lahore Development Authority and hamper the pace of development activities in these districts. Sheikhupura, Kasur and Nankana would come under the control of RUDA, he said and added that it must be shared that which government organization would regulate these districts from now on?