MULTAN, Dec 2nd: Director General Multan Development Authority (MDA) Agha Muhammad Ali Abbas has said that present Government was discouraging the NOC regime and moving towards compliance to bring a good change in the existing culture. He was addressing a meeting of the executive committee of Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry chaired by its President Khawaja Salahuddin on Wednesday.The meeting was also attended by former President Mian Fazal Elahi Sheikh, Senior Vice President Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah, Vice President Shafi Anis'A Sheikh, Sheikh Faisal Saeed, Director Town Planning Mohsin Raza, Khalid Javed Ex-Director Town Planning. Director-General said that we should cooperate with each other and we should try our utmost to resolve the issues instead of making them complexes. He disclosed that the Master Plan of Multan was being reviewed keeping in view the arising requirements.He agreed with a questioner that official proceedings must be time-bound. He said that there was a dire need of changing the bylaws of building construction.He said that violations of building laws should not be tolerated at any cost because these are made to facilitate people and no negligence should be tolerated in this regard. He said that fire act 1951 was still applicable when the escalators and other facilities were introduced. Similarly, Sulphuric acid is being used in Pakistan while it was banned in the entire world. He suggested that the Engineering Council must be consumer-friendly and it should amend the rules and regulations. He said that the private sector should come forward to develop low-income housing colonies and other development works. He announced to establish a help desk in Multan Chamber to facilitate the corporate sector and providing them one-window operation facility. One of the participants Abdul Karim Noon said that MDA should ensure fire-extinguishing facility in all buildings top save human lives and losses of billions of rupees. He cited the fire-incident in Hafeez centre of Lahore. In his welcome address, President MCCI Khawaja Salahuddin eulogised the cooperation and services of MDA's director-general in providing facilities to the business community and providing infrastructure. He said that it is good news that MDA was reviewing its Master Plan of Multan. He stressed the need for expanding the industrial estate of Multan keeping in view the requirement of CPEC project.He said that commercial plazas , shopping centre and malls are causing traffic hazard and no map should be approved without allocation of sufficient space for parking. Later Senior Vice President Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah presented a vote of thanks. acknowledging their service a shield was given to Director General and Director Town Planning while DG MDA gave a sheild for cooperation.
