LDA City project unlikely to meet SC deadline

Court has granted eight months to provide land to 9,000 file holders

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) is likely to fail when it comes to meeting the deadline of allotting plots to LDA City file holders, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday. This deadline had been set by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in January.

An official of the authority disclosed that LDA has yet to complete the land acquisition process for this residential scheme, despite the fact that a large portion of land has already been acquired. He further indicated the authority has yet to start development work in full swing as the process is currently limited to a small area.

Wrapping up the suo motu case related to the LDA City Housing Scheme in January, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) directed the Punjab government to allot plots to file holders of the project within eight months. Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed gave his assurances to the two-member bench, headed by former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, that the deadline would be met. During the hearing, the minister said a total of 9,000 people held files owning land in LDA City. However, at present, no land was available to be allotted to them.

While hearing complaints of the LDA City victims, the former CJP remarked that citizens who purchased files in the scheme never got plots nor had their money returned. During overall proceedings, he warned that if widows and orphans were not involved in the LDA City case, all the bureaucrats and owners of development companies involved would have been in jail by now.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the other member of the bench hearing the case, asked why LDA couldn’t complete the project on its own. “It is such a big company. It should complete the project itself.” To this, the counsel for LDA responded by saying the company lacked the necessary funds.

He informed the court that as many as 98,000 kanals of grabbed land was yet to be retrieved. The government also plans to reserve 13,500 kanals to develop the project’s phase-I in which victims would be allotted plots.

Following the court verdict, the authority had initiated the land acquisition process and established an office at the site. Former LDA DG Amna Imran Khan, in a meeting, said that the countdown had started since January 21.

As per the orders of the court, the authority would submit a detailed report of development activities to the apex court on a monthly basis. Also, in order to restore public confidence in LDA schemes, the authority had to complete the project in the minimum possible time.

LDA Chief Engineer Mazhar Hussain Khan highlighted in the meeting that for speedy initiation of development works in Development Area 1, covering 13,000 kanals, the authority had invited applications from developers and contractors for prequalification. However, it is yet to initiate development the process after completing all tendering requirements.

The top court, on January 12, ruled that Amna Imran Khan be retained in her present position as DG till such time that phase-I of the LDA City project is completed and plots are handed over to those who are legally and contractually entitled to the same.

However, the court, last month, allowed the government of Punjab to transfer Khan from the post of LDA DG. During the course of hearing, Punjab Advocate General Ahmed Jamal Sukhera appeared before the SC and said that the apex court’s orders could be executed by another equally capable officer as well.

He further assured that the Punjab government would take the necessary steps to ensure that the concerns of the apex court, with respect to completing the LDA City project, would be addressed.

As many as 9,000 file holders have been affected by this LDA scheme. These owners had been struggling for a long time to get their own piece of land, even after making payments to the city developer. The authority, besides development partners, private landowners have also started presenting land to the LDA City housing project, which is years behind its original development schedule.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2019.