LDA regularises ex-MPA’s plot after 30 years

LAHORE: A former MPA has got his plot regularised after almost three decades, The News has learnt.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has finalisedregularisation of the plot allotted to the MPA in 1989 under chief minister quota, which was later cancelled due to irregularities in allotment. In a recently held meeting of Governing Body of the LDA, the issue was placed with a title “Regularisation of plot 29, Block-H/3, MA Johar Town allotted out of Chief Minister’s discretionary quota” and the authority unanimously approved the regularisation of the said plot.

Sources in LDA said that initially plot No.211, Block-G/3 was allotted to MPA Mukhtar Ahmad out of the then Chief Minister Discretionary Quota on 27.09.1989. Subsequently, Plot No.177-F/ was allotted to the applicant as allotment of previous plot could not be communicated to the allottee in light of summary initiated for the Chief Minister. Later on, plot No. 29-H/3 was allotted to the applicant in exchange for earlier allotted plot as development work was not completed in the area of the previously allotted plot.

Sources said in compliance with the orders passed by the Additional Director General (Housing), LDA vide order No. LDA/ADG (H)/80/61dated 24.06.2003 subject case was presented before the authority along with other 26 cases in its meetings held on 16.08.2004 and 06.02.2006.

Sources claimed that the authority while considering irregularities of allotment of plots decided to constitute a committee to examine each case individually and submit its report before the authority. The committee included Director Hidden Properties, LDA (Convener), Director Estate Management, LDA (Member) and Director Legal, LDA (Member).

The said case of subject plot was placed before the authority in its meeting held of 20.09.2007. The authority after considering the case in its meeting dated 20.09.2007 decided approved the processing of the case of Plot No.29, Block-H/3 measuring 1-kanal, M.A. Johar Town Scheme, for Building Period Extension, transfer, Sanction of Building Plan etc. Subsequently, the approval of the authority the owner of plot No.29, H/3 was issued building period extension challan which has already been submitted by the owner and the duplicate documents were also issued in the year 2008 and 2010 respectively.

Sources said the committee mentioned at para No.2 submitted its reports to DG, LDA on 10.10.2013. However, in order to be reassured of the details and working on the issue, the Director General, LDA constituted another committee comprising officers Director Estate Management, Director Land Development and Director Estate Management (QAT), LDA. This committee also held a series of meetings and thoroughly examined each and every case and finalised its recommendations in the year 2018. The recommendations of both the committees were the same, except where certain orders of the courts attained finality about a particular case and had to be complied with.

Sources said the committee took up a total of 27 cases and recommended 10 cases for regularisation and recommended 15 cases for cancellation. The workings of both the committees were placed before the authority in its meeting held on 31.05.2018. The case regarding plot No.29, H/3 was also included in the list of 15 plots recommended for cancellation by the committee despite the fact that said plot had already been regularised by the authority in its meeting in 2007.Sources said at that time the authority endorsed the recommendations of the committees and also asked for a legal opinion in this regard. Sources claimed that the applicant agitated against the decision of the authority dated 31.05.2018 and submitted an application in light of which a summary explaining all facts of the case was forwarded to the Chief Minister, Punjab, for grant of ex-post facto approval of subject case.

The Minister HUD & PHED, Punjab, has returned the summary to the DG,LDA on 24.07.2020 with following remarks: "May kindly be forwarded before Competent Authority" sources said and maintained that Malik Mukhtar Ahmad filed a new application to the Chief Minister of Punjab/Chairman, LDA and requested that letter issued dated 18.09.2019 and decision of Authority Meeting dated 31.05.2018 should be canceled and the plot of the applicant should be regularised by restoring the decision of the Authority dated 20.09.2007, which was still pending. In the recent authority meeting, minutes of which were available with the scribe, the authority recommended that in light of the foregoing, instant case was placed before the authority for decision regarding regularisation of Plot No. 29, Block-H/3, M.A. Johar Town Scheme, Lahore on the following basis. The plot was already regularised by the authority in its meeting held in the year of 2007. The committee constituted in this regard, started working in 2006 and continued till 2018, whereas subject plot was regularized by the Authority in the year of 2007 and it should not have been taken up by the committee. “The claim of the applicant is genuine and no malafide on his behalf is involved which is shown by him in the form of surrendering the previously allocated plot,” the authority concluded in its decision.