LAHORE, Aug 2: The Punjab Local Government draft bill of 2013, if approved, will either dissolve Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA’s) governing body or shorten its size thus making it unable to approve the city’s development projects exceeding worth Rs25 million, it is learnt.

Under the existing Punjab Local Government Ordinance (PLGO) of 2001, the body consists of 17 members, including the chairman (City District Government of Lahore’s administrator/DCO), the LDA director general, nine city towns’ administrators, vice chairmen of the LDA and WASA and representatives of local government, planning and development, finance and housing departments.

Officials say that before the PLGO-2001, the body consisted of the chairman (chief minister), the LDA DG, representatives of the Lahore Municipal Corporation, district administration, finance, planning and development, housing and the local government departments.

“Before the PLGO-2001 the body was formed keeping in view the Punjab Local Government Act of 1979,” said an official. “Though the LDA and its two subsidiaries —WASA and TEPA — had not been defined as part of the municipal or metropolitan corporation under the 1979 Act or LDA Act of 1975, it had been decided at that time that these agencies would be considered separate organisations to be governed by a body led by the chief minister. Later, the relevant clauses/sections of the PLGO-2001 were amended, appointing the district nazim as chairman and inducting the then towns’ chairmen/chairperson and sitting administrators as members of its governing body,” a senior official told Dawn.

The official, seeking anonymity, said the passage of the Punjab Local Government Bill of 2013 would dissolve the existing LDA and its subsidiaries’ governing body, as town administrators would lose membership, and the remaining members would not be able to approve any project worth over Rs25 million.

Under the 2013 Local Government bill, towns will be dissolved and the old system of zone will be re-introduced.

He said the LDA would not neither be able to convene its governing body meeting nor it would approve the projects exceeding cost of Rs25 million until the reconstitution of the body.

“After the approval of the bill, the government would have to amend the laws to reach the point of pre-PLGO-2001. Since this process may take time, mega projects might be delayed,” the official added.

PROPOSAL: He said the LDA had recently sent a proposal to the Punjab government and sought amendment in the rules that could enable it constituting the governing body under the scenario of the pre-PLGO of 2001 system. The LDA proposed the chief minister as governing body chairman and LDA chairman, two independent engineering experts, commissioner or deputy commissioner, two political representatives and the secretaries of the housing, local government, finance and P&D departments as members.