PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is mulling over implementing a comprehensive law to curb illegal constructions and stop the misuse of agricultural land in the province.
Sources said that the KP Local Government Department, with the help of a foreign aid agency, has drafted the ‘Land Use and Building Control Act’ which also recommends the establishment of a Land Use and Building Control Council.
Under the act, the provincial government will formulate housing schemes keeping in view the needs of urban areas. The plans will be prepared by the District Planning Committee and will be submitted to the council for approval while changes in the plan and its inclusion in the infrastructure plan will also be re-submitted to the council.
Under the act, approval must be obtained for every building and every type of planning related to land use on the district level. According to the draft prepared by the provincial government, it will be mandatory to submit details within three months of approval of any type of construction and use of the land plan.
According to LG sources, currently, action is being taken under the Local Government Act, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Areas Development Authorities Act, Peshawar Development Authority Act and Galyat Development Authority Act, however, the officials said that there are some ambiguities that will be addressed by the new act.
The draft of the act said that chief planning control officers will be appointed in the Local Government Department for implementation of the law. The officials said that currently, work has been underway on the rules and regulations related to the power and authority of the chief planning control officers.
According to sources in the LG department, the outline of the draft has been approved by the provincial government and the draft has been sent to the law department. The officials informed that after the draft is vetted by the law department it will be placed before the provincial cabinet for approval and later to the provincial assembly.
Sources informed that amendments have also been proposed in the Local Government Act, Urban Areas Development Authorities Act, Peshawar Development Authority Act and Galyat Development Authority Act as the provisions related to construction and land use would be removed from these Acts.
A good move!