LDA forms committee on scrutiny of plots

LAHORE:To counter the frauds of double compensation/exemption, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has started internal scrutiny of its land record.

Sources in LDA said that many complaints related to double compensation/exemption were pending in LDA. The new scrutiny of double compensation/exemption will give a special focus on the plots given in exchange in Johar Town.

Recently, the LDA faced a huge embarrassment when one of its directors and several other officers were caught by Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for allotting 27 plots on a bogus file. After this incident, the ACE also wrote a letter to Chief Town Planner (CTP) to submit the record of plots exchanged during the period of 2018 to 2023.

Sources said as per the letter (LDA/ADMN/PS/66 DATED: 28.04.2023), the Director General, LDA has been pleased to formulate a committee to scrutinise the files, which were being processed and were not part of the Inventory List of 2017. Copy of the letter was available with the scribe. The convener of the committee was LDA’s Director IT Basit Qamar and its members were Shahid Naeem, Director Housing-VIl, Ms Humaira Sharif, Director Record Management, Uzair Bin Tariq, Deputy Director Land Acquisition, Jehangir Iqbal Mayo, Deputy Director Housing-V1 and Zahid Siddique, Assistant Director Accounts. As per the TORS of the committee, it shall scrutinise, analyse and inquire facts of all files in the light of prevailing SOPs. In cases where exchange of plot was involved, the committee shall check status of previous plot and verify exchange proceedings, along with onsite possession status of both plots.

The committee shall review the list of missing files published in the year 2009 vis-a-vis MA Johar Town Scheme Lahore. The committee shall meticulously analyse the initiation procedure of applications from One Window Cell, LDA, and its complete trail.

The committee shall also do cross-verification of previous correspondences and transactions, which were carried out. The committee will also match scanned records of possession registers khasra registers etc.

In case of exemption files, the detailed chant of relevant Khasras will be got prepared and the record of chant will be examined to check that how many of them (land owners) have already received compensation/exemption so far. This will rule out the probability of excess/double exemption. The Committee shall scrutinise the files in depth and shall give clear recommendations regarding inclusion of files in the Inventory List as per their determined sanctity/genuineness.