LAHORE: The illegal installation of gates and barricades at entry and exit points of different residential areas have irked the citizens, while law enforcers appear to be least bothered about the ordeal of the people, Pakistan Today has observed.
During a survey of different localities in the city, it was observed that residents have blocked streets by installing steel gates, barriers or steel chains to bar people from entering. Lahore Development Authority (LDA), which is the regulator of all schemes, has not only failed to demolish these obstacles, but in the societies that it owns – WAPDA Town, NESPAK, Canal View, Bahria Town, Tech Society, PCSIR, Nasheman-e-Iqbal, EME Society and Valencia Housing Society and Gulshan-e-Lahore to name a few – has itself blocked several entrances.
Johar Town is one of LDA’s housing schemes, where entries of different areas have also been blocked for the public. For example, the entry point of the G-1 block at canal side is closed during the night, which forces the residents to use alternate routes after covering a significantly longer distance. Another block of the same, sector G-4, has at least four entry points but three of them have permanently been closed for entrance. A similar situation prevails in different blocks of Sector-H, Sector-J, Sector-E, Sector-R and others where illegal blockages are a common sight.
Welfare societies have been formed in almost all blocks of Johar Town which look after the administrative matters of the block. The office bearers of such societies are of the view that owing to the poor law and order situation in the city, they have been compelled to make such arrangements. However, many of them claim that they installed the gates after seeking permission from LDA and the police stations concerned.
LDA spokesperson Sohail Janjua, while speaking to Pakistan Today, on the other hand, admitted that the installation of gates or any other obstacles at the entry points of any residential area, roads or streets was illegal.
He said that LDA’s enforcement teams were vigilant in this regard and an operation against such violations was underway.
