By Benjamin Omoike, Lagos
Lagos State Government has declared that it will, this week, commence Physical Planning enforcement on all Tank Farms illegally operating in the state.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Alausa at the weekend, expressed displeasure at the unapproved and illegal operations of many Tank Farms in the state, saying that no such facility should operate without Planning Permit.
He noted that the indiscriminate operations of Tank Farms has negatively impacted the host communities and rendered residents helpless, saying “In most cases, the road capacity is inadequate for the activities of the Tank Farms, whose operations have led to the collapse of road infrastructure, rendered critical social amenities, such as schools and hospitals inaccessible and created urban squalor of the host communities.”
Salako averred that the deliberate neglect of host communities by Tank Farms operating in the state, despite unhonoured government overtures, was regrettable, especially when viewed against the backdrop that most of the outfits creating these problems were not only unapproved but also not paying taxes to the state.
The Physical Planning Commissioner maintained that there is no going back on the plan to start enforcing the extant Physical Planning Laws on all erring Tank Farms as from this week, since the ultimatum given had lapsed.
Recall that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development had met with Tank Farm Operators earlier in the year and issued a week ultimatum to regularise their facilities, which was followed by an additional two-week extension, a month after the first ultimatum had expired.
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