Store sealed for violating building bye-laws

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Friday sealed a leading departmental store, Al-Fateh Store for violating building bye-laws and also failing to remove the constructions raised against the approved plan.
Condemning the action of LDA, Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Trader Wings Lahore claimed that Al-Fateh Store's owner Irfan Sheikh was punished by the Punjab government for joining PTI.According to a spokesperson of LDA, the LDA had served many notices to the owners of the property for removing violations of building bye-laws but they did not pay any heed. Hence, the LDA's staff of the Town Planning Wing took a legal action and sealed the building.
It may be noted that High Rise Commission, appointed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, had also directed for demolishing the unauthorised constructions in the store after inspecting the structure. The spokesperson observed the following irregularities made at the site by the owners of the store: The store management had illegally extended the basements under the front arcades and included the space into the store. This is a non-compoundable illegality. The construction has to be removed, basement had been extended/attached to the adjacent plazas situated at property number 52 and 53 commercial zone in Gulberg III against the sanctioned plan and without approval of the LDA; there is projection of the building on first to top floor and falls on the road side; the projection has to be removed. Steel structure projection for the balcony and electric sub-station in the rear balcony towards the road has also been removed. Moreover, arcades have been raised on the front side, which has to be brought to its normal level. And, arcade in the rear side has been encroached by constructing a wall and generator has to be removed.
He also mentioned that the same building had caught fire a few years ago, causing huge losses. Meanwhile, the PTI Trader Wings Lahore held a protest at Liberty Market against the LDA action. A large number of traders took part in the protest and the PTI local leaders, including President Lahore Mahmoodur Rasheed and Trader Wings Lahore President Mustafa Rasheed, were also there to show their solidarity with the business community.
Addressing the protestors, the PTI leaders claimed that by sealing one of the leading stores of Lahore, the Punjab government had taken revenge against Irfan Sheikh for joining the PTI. They said the government's action is illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional. "It seems that joining of a large of traders of Lahore, including Irfan Sheikh, to PTI has created panic in the PML-N camp," he added. They demanded of the government to resolve the issues faced by traders, withdraw its order for sealing the store immediately and the cases registered against the traders should be taken back.