Petrol pumps work even after licence, lease expired

LAHORE
CITY District Government Lahore’s (CDGL) inaction and elements implicit with illegal business owners have given a free hand to illegal petrol pumps, which are operating in both residential and commercial localities of the provincial metropolis and minting huge money.
Sources said lease agreements of several petrol pumps had been cancelled many years back and despite repeated notifications of various government departments to the CDGL, these pumps are still operative and thriving.
District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore, though very active to handle city issues, is ignorant of the fact and didn’t launch any drive against these petrol pumps. Sources said majority of the illegal petrol pumps were owned by blue-eyed individuals who enjoyed full support of influential personalities in politics as well as in bureaucracy.
Recently, Chief Inspectors of Explosives, Department of Explosives, Ministry of Industries and Production, Islamabad forwarded a case of seven such petrol pumps, which are operating in various localities of the city despite cancellation of lease and other sheer violations.
Ironically, the CDGL authorities took the matter very casually and no inquiry has so far been launched to determine the status of these seven petrol pumps as well as to take a detailed survey of all the petrol pumps operating in the city vis-à-vis expiry of their lease, permissions from relevant government departments and security threats to the lives of citizens due to ignored safety measures.
CDGL sources said owners of majority of pumps were allotted lands on lease for different period of time but many were operating despite their lease period had expired. Similarly, under the rules, the lease period automatically expires after death of the lessee, but many pumps are being run even after the death of the lessees.
Sources in Department of Explosives revealed that in recent past almost seven cases were reported to the CDGL’s District Officer Coordination by the department but no action was taken. Sources said one of these pumps was situated at Multan Road and its licence was cancelled on 12-01-2012 due to non-submission of lease. Second is situated at Ferozepur Road and its licence was cancelled due to non-submission of lease and construction of marriage hall at the same site. Third filling station operative near Gajju Matta, its licence was cancelled on 01-01-2010 due to non-submission of lease, fourth petrol pump on Ferozepur Road, its lease expired on 01-01-2009, fifth filling station located at The Mall, its lease was cancelled on 16-12-2009.
Sources said the sixth filling station on Dev Samaj Road, the site was declared unauthorised for a petrol pump while the seventh case was of another unauthorised petrol pump near Shahpur Kaanjran.
A senior CDGL official, seeking anonymity claimed that a ‘cartel’ is functioning within the CDGL to protect the interests of such petrol pumps. ‘In case of reporting of any objection from other government departments against the petrol pumps, the ‘cartel’ immediately leaks the official correspondence to them so that they could get stay orders from civil courts,’ the official claimed, adding that the CDGL’s legal wing didn’t bother to pursue these cases in courts.
When contacted, DCO Lahore Capt (r) Usman said he would launch an inquiry into the issue.
DCO’s PRO Imran Maqbool was given details of all the above-mentioned cases on Monday and on Tuesday he said District Officer (Coordination) was checking these files and action would be taken against all illegal pumps.