MULTAN, Jan 23: City District Nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtar has told the town administrations to demolish illegal under-construction plazas and seal commercial centres that have not paid a commercialisation fee.

Mukhtar said this while presiding over a meeting of the Commercialisation Committee on Tuesday.

He said the growing vehicular flow on roads was causing traffic jams, while construction of plazas without sparing space for parking had multiplied the problem.

He said that an under-construction building adjacent to the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, was against the building bylaws but the authorities had not taken any action.

Mukhtar said that wedding halls without parking areas were also creating hurdles for the citizens. He said the trend of construction of such plazas would continue unless an illegal plaza was demolished.

He ordered the sealing of all the institutes that were not paying commercialisation charges.

Makhdoom Abbas Akbar, Sher Shah Town nazim, said he was not satisfied with the performance of state lawyers and the recovery of commercialisation fees.

Malik Shaukat Bosan, Bosan Town nazim, said that there was no coordination between the town administrations and Multan Development Authority. Mian Jameel Ahmed, Mumtazabad Town nazim, demanded that equal map fees should be imposed in all the towns.

The meeting decided a provisional map would be issued for the construction of commercial plazas and the final approval would be given after the completion of construction. Wedding halls without parking lot would also be sealed, the meeting learnt. If any builder does not start construction work within the four year of approval of the building map, the owner will have to get the new approval.

The meeting decided the town administrations would fight legal battles with those who got stay orders from court. Towns were asked to submit the illegal plazas’ list to the city district nazim in a week.

Town Planning Director Chaudhry Muhammad Tayyab informed the meeting that the government had yet to recover Rs160 million commercialisation fees from various organisations.

He said that 12 residential and commercial plazas on Abdali Road, 20 on Old Bahawalpur Road, four on Nishter Road, one on Hazoori Bagh Road and two on Masoom Shah Road did not pay commercialisation fees.

He said that courts were hearing seven cases regarding commercialisation.

WORKSHOP: A two-day workshop of farmer and labour councillors will begin today (Wednesday) in the Tehsil Council Hall, Shujaabad.

The Directorate of Workers’ Education has arranged the moot that aims at educating the councillors about project planning, Citizen Community Boards and local councils.