LAHORE: The Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) launched an initiative to issue e-building permits for warehouses from e-Khidmat Centre at Town Hall.
Lahore Mayor Colonel (r) Mubashir Javed, Planning and Development Department (P&D) Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, representative of PITB, Project Implementation Unit staff, Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) director general and other persons concerned also attended the inauguration ceremony hosted at Jinnah Hall Friday.
The launching of e-building permits for warehouses was a part of the overall reforms agenda that the Punjab government had envisaged to facilitate the public/investors. This had been made possible through tireless efforts of P&D, MCL/LG&CD and PITB. Through this facility the citizens could easily obtain construction permits from e-Khidmat Centres within 21 days.
Addressing the participants, P&D Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that the programme intervention was to improve the aggregate performance of Pakistan in the ‘Doing Business’ indicators which fell under the jurisdiction of the province. The process included things like starting a business, registering a property, dealing with construction permits and enforcing contracts, he added.
He further said that now the issuance of construction permits would take only 21 days instead of 200 days, which would greatly benefit the general public investors and save their precious time. Through this initiative, investors would be provided a one-window facility, thus eliminating the need to visit various offices and reducing processing time, he added.
Sahoo said that the P&D, Punjab government had embarked upon the agenda of improving investment climate in the province by improving aggregate performance on key ‘Doing Business’ indicators through collaborative approach involving private sector and development partners. One of the important indicators was the issuance of building permits as Pakistan currently stood at 141 on this indicator globally.
The P&D in collaboration with various agencies had taken the lead to improve the business indicator at the provincial level. In this regard, a comprehensive Doing Business Reform Agenda was being implemented at the provincial level.
