LAHORE – Punjab Cabinet has rejected the summary of LDA seeking extension of bona-fide Commission and asked the authorities to process the same for reconstitution since the matter has been time-barred.
It is worth mentioning here that Lahore Development Authorities (LDA) are reluctant to get an extension of Bonafide Commission LDA to facilitate the aggrieved and rightful owners of land falling under authorities jurisdiction.
The reason behind the rejection of the summary was an extraordinary delay in processing the same, said a senior officer of LDA seeking anonymity.
The above-said commission was formed in the year 2015 to protect the ownership rights of bonafide purchasers of plots and land in LDA limitations.
The commission was supposed to hear the cases which were not decided by any court of law. Applicants whose property rights were canceled by LDA after a certain time period were also supposed to contact the commission for redressal of their grievances.
The commission started its work in 2015 and delivered well and provided relief to the bonafide owners of the land in the city falling under the ambit of LDA.
But its working was hindered by the hidden hands within LDA and the commission had to stop its working time and again. In the year 2019 the Commission became dormant and was reconstituted on August 07, 2020, and remained functional by August 06, 2021.
After that till now Commission is inactive due to the poor interest of LDA management. As per law the extension of the commission was supposed to be approved by the governing body of the LDA. Interestingly the meeting of the governing body was postponed six to seven times in which matter of commission’s extension was supposed to be discussed.
The poor interest of the governing body of the LDA could be gauged from the fact the earlier its meeting was not being convened and meeting held it recommended the extension of the commission for only six months instead of one year. When the summary was tabled before the Cabinet Committee on Legislative business the committee members returned the summary with the note that the issue has been submitted late, so the status of the commission cannot be extended rather it would be reconstituted.
So a new summary will be required to submit with new pray.
A former member of the commission seeking anonymity told this scribe that the commission since its inception has collected Rs. 350 million as fine from various landowners and deposited this heavy amount in national exchequer. Provided relief to hundreds of applicants. He was of the view that there were seven to eight thousand cases lying pending in different courts of law regarding LDA. Only seven to eight hundred cases were of the resident of Mustafa abad area.
Another former Office bearer of the commission on the condition of not to be named said that extraordinary delay in the process of commission’s extension was malafide intention of the LDA authorities who consider the commission as interference in the working of the LDA.
An applicant Arshad Javed who is owner of the plot number 751 block-C Faisal Town said he has become rolling stone at the hand of LDA authorities. “LDA authorities have canceled my plot after the allotment of 30 years due to the reasons best known to them”, he lamented. He said that LDA staff was noncooperative and in this tension, I have suffered from serious disease also.
“ I am 100 percent bonafide owner of my plot and commission should be constituted to decide my ownership”, he demanded.
Another applicant Asmat Ullah resident of plot No- 97 Hidayat Ullah block Mustafa Town Lahore has said that he purchased his 12 marla plot in 2010. It was canceled in 2021 by the authorities concerned due to unknown reasons whereas he purchases that plot after thorough verification of the plot by the LDA authorities.
