Fire safety measures: LHC asks Punjab government to submit report by March 20

The Lahore High Court here on Friday directed Punjab government to submit a report by March 20, about implementation on recommendations of Fire Safety Commission about high-rise buildings. The court was hearing a petition against construction of multi-storey commercial buildings inside walled city in violation of a stay order.
The petitioner's counsel Azhar Siddique told the court that besides the walled city, the construction of the multi-storey plazas was on rampant in whole city ignoring fire safety measures and ample parking provision. He recalled loss of lives in a recent fire erupted in a New Anarkali plaza due to absence of fire safety measures and emergency exit facility.
The counsel said recommendations of the fire safety commission were not enforced by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA). Representing the fire safety commission, Ahmad Rafay Alam stated that the recommendations had been made part of building by laws. When asked by the court, counsel of Walled City Authority Lahore (WCAL) said construction of another 200 commercial buildings had been stopped in the walled city.
The court sought a report about implementation on the commission's recommendations. A resident of Kashmiri Gate Asif Ali Mirza filed the petition and said the construction of the identified buildings was not stopped even after stay order passed by the court. He said the construction of high-rise buildings was rampant inside walled city in violation of the settled rules and laws. He pleaded that illegal construction within the walled city of Lahore was illegal, unconstitutional.