LDA revokes excess land exemption

Submits report to NAB for further investigation

LAHORE: After revoking the excess land exemption, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) annulled the allocation of 14 residential plots worth Rs400 million in Johar Town on Wednesday.

An LDA spokesperson said the authority has also taken possession of these properties following the cancellation of excess exemption of 10 kanals. Also, the land has been added to the city developer’s property bank.

He highlighted that following the directives of LDA Director General Muhammad Usman Moazzam, LDA Land Development-1 Director Moazzam Rasheed cancelled extra exemption of land that was in violation of the exemption policy.

“All these plots are situated in H3 Block of Johar Town. Four plots, measuring one kanal, bear property numbers 289, 290, 291 and 293. Meanwhile, 10 plots, each with an area of 12 marlas, have numbers 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 269, 272, 273, 276 and 277. The authority has also submitted a report to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for further investigation.

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Meanwhile, the authority continued its operation against illegal constructions and encroachments in Allama Iqbal Town. It demolished four illegal structures and sealed another three buildings in its building control area. Officials of the LDA Town Planning Wing demolished four illegally constructed shops in Jehanzeb, Hunza, Ravi and Pak Blocks, bearing number 357, 346, 143 and 429.

It also demolished an illegally constructed wall of a commercial building (2-L) in Karim Block Market. Illegally built washrooms were also demolished in a plaza in the Karim Block market.

The authority sealed properties at Ravi Block over the illegal addition or alteration.

In similar operations, the authority vacated properties worth Rs150 million in the Sabazar area from illegal occupants.

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LDA officials conducted a raid in A-block of Sabazar and demolished the temporary construction of an illegal stable. In the original housing scheme plans, this land was allocated for 10 plots of 12-marla area each.

Speaking to the media, LDA DG Moazzam warned illegal occupants and encroachers to vacate illegal possession or face action. As per the Punjab chief minister’s direction, he highlighted the authority was conducting raids in different areas to vacate state land from illegal occupants. He indicated that LDA has decided to build boundary walls around these properties to avoid reoccupation.

After coming into power, Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government launched a crackdown against encroachments and land grabbing across the country.

Thousands of kanals state land has been retrieved from land grabbers and illegal occupants since last October.

The LDA initiated its anti-encroachment drive from the illegal furniture market in Johar Town, where a large number of illegal shops were illegally constructed and rented out to citizens by notorious land grabber ‘Mansha Bomb’.

The authority took action following the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) ordered the Ministry of Interior to place Mansha Bomb and his son's name on the Exit Control List (ECL) in a mega land grabbing case.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2019.