There is a need to stop the fragmentation of plots at the earliest through appropriate measures
LAHORE: There is a mushroom growth of fragmentation of plots in many schemes of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA). Such fragmentations are conspicuous by their presence. In schemes like Shah Jamal, a two-Kanal plot was fragmented into 15 small houses. Similarly, a one-Kanal plot has been fragmented into five small houses in schemes like Samanabad and Gulshan-e-Ravi. Now the question is, how does the LDA address this violation?
The authority knows this and takes partial action if somebody lodges a complaint. Unfortunately, the complainant pays a price for lodging a complaint. The LDA staff reveals the name of the complainant to the violator. The violator adopts various measures to cow down the complainant such as monetary compensation, threats, political pressure and even puts undue social pressure by propagating about the complainant. As a result, the complainant withdraws and the contractor mafia through connivance rules the roost. Another fact is that contractor mafia acts in unison and belongs to all political parties.
Meanwhile, the partial action taken by the LDA are either partial demolition or putting trucks in front of fragmented plots. Such steps are short term in nature and there is a downside of these steps. Partial demolition gathers media attention, on the one hand, but ignites the sentiments of the masses, on the other. Similarly, putting trucks in front of fragmented plots don’t bode well from the social point of view. The violators portrays themselves to the general public that the LDA is encroaching his rights.
There is a need to stop the fragmentation of plots at the earliest through appropriate measures. Since the Revenue Department performs the ‘registry’ of fragmented plots, the LDA may restrict the Revenue Department from registering the fragmented plots. There could be many proposals. The key is implementation which is the job of the LDA chief who is doing a good job under political constraints, though.
Dr Fahd Rehman
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2018.
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