Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA) automated building plan approval system is reportedly causing long delays, with citizens facing extended wait times for the processing of their applications.
According to sources, pending requests at the LDA’s One Window Cell are now taking up to 18 days, raising concern among senior officials over the growing backlog.
The delay has become serious enough to draw attention at higher levels, where questions have reportedly been raised about the system’s performance.
Officials familiar with the matter said the automated system has not received adequate attention, while several cases are allegedly being kept pending unnecessarily.
The issue has also reportedly triggered displeasure in the Chief Secretary’s Office, and LDA officers are said to have faced embarrassment during a related meeting.
Sources further said applications are being moved repeatedly between multiple offices, particularly Town Planning and the Director Architect office, slowing down approvals even more and creating avoidable bottlenecks in the system.
The situation has also led to blame shifting between LDA officials, the IT wing, and PITB, with each side reportedly holding the other responsible for the ongoing problems instead of fixing them.
The automated system was introduced to make plan approvals faster and more transparent. However, the current situation suggests it is instead becoming a source of delay, leaving citizens stuck in a process that was meant to save time.