|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
   |
clean-up MOOD STREET Town Talk development Colourful
cuisine Operation underway Success of ongoing anti-encroachment drive depends mainly on continued political will By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed Commuters along city’s busy roads have a new spectacle to observe nowadays. After a long time, they are seeing illegal structures being raised to ground by heavy machinery and sturdy manual labour. Covered by large contingents of police, civil defence and district government staff, LDA workers and even volunteers, the men at work are doing their job with what appears to be religious fervour. The lot on the other
side of the fence is definitely dejected. It’s seen protesting before,
during and after the exercise carried out in Though the drive was launched on March 11, it was widely advertised in popular media for several days. The violators of municipal rules were warned but very few people took it easy as several similar initiatives had failed to yield results in the past, says Ghulam Shabbir, a motor mechanic employed at a motor workshop along G.T. Road near Baghbanpura. “What appeared to be an empty threat in the beginning finally turned out to be the worst nightmare for many,” he adds. Shabbir says there are a lot of shopkeepers who had extended their boundary limits after getting verbal approvals from town officers. There are properties which have changed many hands over the years but it’s the current owners who have to face the brunt, he says, adding: those who violated the rules walked away with good money. The government officials, whose prolonged silence gave a tacit approval to these illegal activities, should be asked to compensate the losses of the wronged occupants, he opines. The CDGL officials are not willing to buy this argument. For example, Tariq Zaman Khan, district officer Lahore and staff officer to the District Coordination Officer (DCO), says no violator deserves compensation as it’s the duty of the citizens to educate themselves on laws. “Ignorance of law is no excuse.” Tariq tells TNS that the parameters for this drive have been clearly defined and do not include everything under the sun. The district government is focusing on management of public places and public spaces, right of way, setback and building line, clearance of footpaths, temporary encroachments like carts and stalls on roadside, illegal parking and recovery of state land. Action against
construction of plazas and buildings in violation of building laws,
encroached private land etc are not part of this He says the drive is being carried under Section 54 A (e) of the PLGO-2001 (Functions and powers of the TMA: prevent and remove encroachment), Section 39 & 40 of LDA Act 1975 and Police Order 2002. Jameel Akhtar, 37, a cigarette and pan shop owner in Ravi Town limits, tells TNS that the tin shed he had got erected there was demolished in a brutal manner. This also led to breakage of electricity wires and adjoining infrastructure which cost him a lot, he blames. Jameel, a staunch PML-N supporter till now, vows not to vote for the party ever again. He says he visited Shah Alam Market a day back and could not find a single inch of encroachment removed from there so far. “I don’t see any action there as maximum financial and political support for the province’s ruling party comes from here.” Similar campaigns launched during the previous government failed reportedly for lack of coordination between the district government and the police force. With the abolition of district magistracy system and promulgation of police order, the police force was no more bound to take orders from district government officers. This lack of coordination was cited as the main reason behind ineffectiveness of such campaigns but the situation is not the same today, says Muhammad Asif Advocate who practices at district courts. He tells TNS all such excuses given in the past were lame and the real impediment was the lack of political will. He says Section 54-A of PLGO 2001 gives powers to the Town Municipal Administration to enforce, in addition to its own, all municipal laws for and on behalf of the City District Government, if required by such City District Government at the cost and expense of the latter; exercise control over land use, land sub-division, land development, prevent and remove encroachments; and even manage properties, assets and funds vested in the Town Municipal Administration. Similarly, Section 39 of LDA Act 1975 gives the District Coordination Officer or any person authorised by him or the authority on this behalf, the power to summarily eject any person in unauthorised occupation of any land or property vested in the authority, and may for such ejectment use such force as may be necessary: Despite these provisions in law there was inaction for ages, he says, because the political leadership of respective areas would prefer to protect their vote bank. But when there’s a full go ahead from the highest office of the province no body can dare to slack, he adds. He says the police is supposed to extend help during such operations as Section 138 and Section 139 of Police Order 2002 declares obstruction of roads by negligent or reckless driving or by driving any vehicle or animal laden with timber, poles etc, leaving any vehicle standing or fastening any cattle in the street or the public place; and causing obstruction in any other manner punishable offences. Tariq Zaman dispels the impression that Shah Alam Market has been exempted from action during the ongoing drive. It will continue till each and every inch of encroached state land in the city is retrieved, he says adding so far around 1547 kanals worth Rs 1 billion 8 crore have been recovered by the nine towns of the district, LDA and the revenue department. He says criticism of this drive was very much expected but the government knows it is doing this job in larger public interest. If a few thousand people stand disturbed due to the fault of their own, one must keep it in mind that more than 10 million people will benefit from its results. “This time there’s no lack of political will something required desperately for success of such initiatives.”
MOOD STREET Discussion over a cup of tea or coffee has been a life long passion for me. I take both my discussion and tea seriously as without good tea my words usually lose their sting. This love affair with tea and coffee recently took me on a journey to discover the true essence of this tea/coffee culture and the booming business that this culture has encouraged. I started off my endeavour by visiting a couple of coffee shops located within the MM Alam road’s vicinity and ended up at one which is visited the most. Upon entering the place I cast my eyes over the coffee sipping people thronging the place and looked around at the surroundings in order to take in the ambience of the place. I settled down on a table for four, ordered my coffee and went through the newspaper I had brought along. The environment was peaceful and all around me people were unwinding. A good time, I thought, to start off a discussion with someone. Placing the newspaper aside and putting up a welcome face, I expected someone, anyone, to fill in the vacant seats on my table but to no luck. I carried out this exercise for a couple of days, sitting alone sipping my cappuccinos and espressos but it was futile. During this process, I was all ears and overheard discussions of our generation’s young blood looking for glory. The topics around which the youth’s conversations revolved, gave me the willies regarding the future of our country. At an age when their imaginations should be flirting with a flood of ideas they were instead harbouring false illusions and entertaining artificial optimism. On my visits to this coffee shop I also noticed a few faces whom I grew accustomed to who like me had little to do besides being regulars. By the second week of these visits, it dawned upon me that sitting idle and sipping coffee without having someone to talk to is a worthless activity. A bout of heavy depression overtook me and I decided not to visit the place again. Next day, for a change, I opted to visit a tea house in Ghalib Market which was at a stone throw distance from the coffee shop. I grabbed a chair as soon as it was vacated and ordered tea and a pack of biscuits. Three men who were already seated on the table were talking on political developments. Initially, I thought of them as a bunch of oldies who had lost all zest for life and had nothing better to discuss but badmouth the political system and state institutions upon retirement. But I was taken aback when one of them asked me to join their discussion without any formal introduction. Seeking the opportunity I accepted the invitation and gave in my point of view. Engrossed in the heat of the debate, I lost count of the cups of tea I was consuming but that really did not matter. Those gentlemen, whom on first sight I considered to be a worthless burden on our national exchequer, were listening to my view point with rapt attention. Our table attracted a good number of audiences and soon it gave a sight of a study group. Our discussion went through the corridors of power to the barracks and from the obscenely lavish lifestyle of the rich to the desolate streets of the poor. As none of us was short of words, I saw it fit to slow down the pace of the talk by introducing myself and getting to know them. I discovered that these three gentlemen were college fellows who after retirement meet up every weekend at the tea house and discussed almost every topic under the sun. One of them turned out to be a retired professor of English, the other worked at the civil secretariat and the third was a retired Wapda officer. I was astonished to see people of their stature intermingling with ordinary citizens whereas they could easily afford to hold their weekly rendezvous at a much more sophisticated place amongst people of their own kind. Upon my inquiry, they took me down the memory lane when during their college days they frequented places like the Pak Tea House and an adjacent coffee house. The professor said that sitting on the same table along side some of the greatest thinkers and poets of the country he learned more than what was being taught at the college. According to them those cultivated men of experience and ideas did not shy away from the ordinary people instead they felt comfortable amongst them. “Those sessions with the rational instilled us with an ideology contrary to the one that was being fed to people,” recalled the retired engineer. The professor reminisced of those times when the learned amongst the lot were present to teach the despairing men the art of living as they very much knew at that time that a sudden loss of hope and courage could have a deadly effect on the social fabric. These thoughts opened my mind’s eye to times when a majority of the population was challenging entrenched ideas. If we could ever draw a contrast of those times with today it amounts to a landslide no comparison at all that was then and this is now. This is why we are witnessing a rise in moral anarchy in the society, a bizarre pattern which we are following these days. For those gullible fools who have limited the tea/coffee culture to a luxury which could only be bought by a selective few are eventually the ones complaining about the polarisation in the society. The three gentlemen I came across in that tea house showed me the true essence of the tea/coffee culture. These coffee and tea houses could become our laboratories where we could nurture a culture that could bring down the wall between the have and have-nots. I talked with the three gentlemen for hours at end before I took leave. As I stood up my eyes caught a warning in red written on the wall. It read “siyasi guftagoo manaa hai.” Town Talk * A first of its kind Mela by Daachi Foundation at Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall. It has all rare & exquisite Pakistani crafts, mouth-watering Pakistani food & live folk music – a complete family entertainment. Today is the last day. * Concert of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on Sat, Mar 26 at Royal Palm at 7:00 pm. * Annual Exhibition 2011
at Vogue Art Gallery, 1 Mawaz Lane, Defence Rd. Opp. Allama Iqbal Intl.
Airport Lahore opening on Mar 26 * 7th Anual Exhibition of Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics and Graphic Art by Young Artists at Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall opening on April 3, next Sunday. * Green Drinks Lahore, a monthly event which takes place at Jammin Java, MM Alam Road behind Bata City every month. Day: Tue, Mar 22. Time: 5:00-8:00pm. * Exploring historic urban landscapes: Retrospection-Transformation-Revival at University of Engineering and Technology (UET) on Sat, Mar 26 from 9:00am to 5:30pm. * Puppet Show every Sunday at Alhamra, The Mall at 11:00pm. New parking plans Park and Ride Plaza has failed to benefit both the shopkeepers and shoppers in the absence of proper facilities By Milcah Augustine Parking is in a mess all over our city. However, with the
help of few good development programmes, it minimises adverse effects The very people this plaza is supposed to facilitate that is the shoppers and the shopkeepers are extremely unhappy about it all. Used to parking before the very shop they had to go to, now they have to walk quite a long way. By talking to people in the adjoining area The News on Sunday finds out about their grievances. Sale at Nishat Linen has gone down drastically since the plaza’s construction. Same is the case with Galleria Gultex. Customers to these shops are mostly well-off women who do not like to walk a long way. An old lady working in Galleria Gultex has resigned due to what she calls “improper parking plan.” She would drive her car up to the third floor of the plaza and then walk to the shop. Not only there is a marked decrease in sales at Gultex, it has taken its toll on the salesmen at its outlets elsewhere. Forty salesmen have been fired till now in the market behind the plaza and more are expected to go. An electronics shopkeeper Mohammad Afzal who seems to feel most frustrated by the construction of parking plaza, asks, “How can my customers take refrigerators, plasma TV and many other products to the 3rd floor, which is the first floor for parking? This plaza is illegal because according to the Supreme Court law, none of the lawns or graveyards can be used to build government property.” There are others along with him who view the plaza doing only damage to the businesses around it. A young lady who works at Al-Fatah (shopping mall) finds it insane on government’s part to overlook public needs and think of its own benefits only. Another young shopper finds it tedious and tiring to take the monthly grocery to the parking. “I am alone and cannot carry the whole stuff at once. For this I will return to pick the rest of it. This is injustice. They should put people’s interest before their own if they want the facility to be useful and appreciated.” Also, in the absence of proper pavement many women and children have been seen tripping and hurting themselves. Many people in the area shared same experiences and
concern while one young boy informed that the old Liberty parking beside There are speculations that the government wants to open a food street on the road on which there is Alfatah, Galleria Gultex and the electronics shop. To pre-empt this, the shopkeepers have taken a stay order against it from the court. Shopkeepers suspect it is to keep traffic away from this road. “Two weeks back they came one midnight with 60 to 70 policemen and started work on the pavement. They left it incomplete. Construction work has started there again and also on the pavement on the other side where there is HKB and Yummy 36.” The staff at Mell Rose Hotel Inn on this road complain that while the parking plaza claims to be open round the clock, it is not. They have lost clientele because of it. “We offered to pay Rs.20,000 for 100 cars per month but it was not accepted by the plaza managers who close it at 3am.” The deputy manager of the plaza says there are no cars at that time. The branch manager of Salt N Pepper restaurant remains tight-lipped. The Salt N Pepper had conducted a survey and handed over the report to the LDA. “Everyone is familiar with the outcome,” he says on insistence. Customers who used to sit outside the restaurant to enjoy the meal and weather are no more to be seen for obvious reasons. The shopping street at the back of Park and Ride Plaza is all shoddy. Roads are under construction which makes it difficult for people to carry luggage towards automobiles. One person TNS came across, who was happy with the parking facility because he found it safe, was unaware of the free bus service for those who want to go to the market. Why doesn’t the plaza staff inform people about it? The deputy manager of the parking plaza, Majid Rashid says people oppose change in our culture. He is dumbfounded on how they talk against this plaza when they were given presentations before building it. On the stay order against food street, he says, no one came to the hearing except him. “People have misconceptions. What is being made is a pedestrian path for safe walking and transporting things.” He hopes the pavement will be completed within a month. “By that time there will be ramps for special people and facilities for senior citizens.” So far nobody is responsible for maintenance of the parking plaza. It is important that the government takes people’s needs into account and pays proper attention to what is necessary. The pavements, when completed, will make carrying loads easy. The parking plaza staff say they can keep shopping trolley for people’s convenience if the shopkeepers so request.
Colourful cuisine A new restaurant in town is the one stop to Mexican ecstasy By Ali Sultan Adnan Cheema has done it again. He gave a whole new spin to sub continental cooking when he opened Andaaz a year ago. This time Cheema thought of spicing up our taste buds, Mexican style, which to be honest isn’t a bad idea at all. Maya, Cheema’s new
restaurant makes itself known from across the road. A medium–sized
outside eating area is decorated with The waiters, an assortment of men and women, wear black and smile, but overall the place gives off a dingy, somber mood punctuated by the menu card which sports a Mayan design on its cover and is another example of solemnity with its black lettering on dark red. The menu is a healthy assortment of starters, steaks, chicken and fish dishes, finished off with desserts and drinks. The beauty of a restaurateur, however, is in the playing and Cheema plays it well. While the mood setting is dim by design, the food is not. For starters try the colorful, wonderful Adobe house salad, an inspired mix of baby lettuce, peppers, sunflower seeds and feta cheese which made all the difference, or a plate of chilli peppers, which are jumbo-sized and filled with gooey cheese. The main course is a
no-brainer. While the chicken dish, called Pollo Mexicano -- strips of
grilled chicken with peppers, tomatoes and green rice is good, our advice
is to stay clear of chicken for once and try any of the beef or fish
dishes, both revelations. Rib-eye en mole is a well-marbled juicy steak, well apportioned in size and served with chocolate spiced sauce. Yes correct, the chocolate might sound like a turnoff, but it’s a misleading fact at best, for as well-cooked and juicy the steak is, the sweet sauce compliments or rather defines the dish. Pesaado Martinez is a grilled red snapper served with red rice, vegetables and avocado lime cream and the best thing Maya has to offer. Not only is the fish delightfully exotic in taste, the rice is well cooked and the cream sauce, slippery and quickly diminished. The Molten chocolate cake is a good finishing point. It’s perfectly made out to be not too sweet, yet the custard that surrounds it is, so they balance each other well. Once you finish at Maya, three things will become lighter, the pocket as per person might have to spend Rs 2000, but most importantly the heart and stomach, because the food is colorful both to the eyes and on the tongue. Maya is situated in Hotel One ground floor on Mehmood Kasuri Road.
|
|
the name of City District Government Lahore’s (CDGL’s) operation
clean-up against encroachments in the city. The objections raised by the
affectees are almost the same: the government instead of providing source
of livelihood to them is depriving them of whatever they already have.
campaign, he clarifies. Tariq refutes allegations, as carried in some
sections of the press, that the CDGL is not clear about the rules under
which this operation is being carried out.
where parking plan is considered before building a plaza. The Punjab
government has planned a progressive building of 10 parking plazas all over
the city. Each plaza would be able to accommodate up to 300 cars with advance
security system as used in Germany. Park and Ride Plaza at Liberty roundabout
is one such parking space built within a year at Rs67 crore.
petrol pump has started charging Rs.30 per hour which is not affordable but
certainly convenient.
stones, a fountain and dark furniture. Step inside the large wooden carved
door and hear low rumbles of Mariachi music slipping out of the speakers,
while the eye adjusts to the low light. Maya’s small cozy interior -- at
least when there is a small number of people-- is a splash of fancy red décor
skillfully toned down by dark wood and stone and looked down upon a
strange painting with red eyes.
