LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) looks busy in unnecessary works rather than focusing on the real issues the public has been facing for the last several months.

“Everything related to the public issues and improving its own financial condition seems to be stuck for some months. The LDA’s top management is just focusing on cosmetic works to ‘please’ the government and not the people as it is busy in tree planting, holding meetings, delaying already pending matters and doing useless things,” deplores an official who talked to Dawn on condition of anonymity.

Being an autonomous body, the LDA is supposed to make, implement and generate funds for its sustainability by developing projects—housing schemes, commercial centres, shopping malls, business towers etc.

“The LDA’s one-window cell receives hundreds of applications from the people on a daily basis and forwards the same to the relevant sections/wings like Directorate of Land Development (1-4), Directorate of Estate Management (DEM-1 to 4), Town Planning (TP 1 to 4) and Metropolitan Planning (MP 1-4). But it seems that the one window has become just a post office as the directorates concerned are not ready to resolve the public issues on time but are raising useless objections,” the official lamented.

“As a result, a huge number of applications related to issuance of no objection certificates (NOCs), completion certificates for property transfers, residential/commercial building maps approval, planning, technical and final approval of private housing schemes and others are lying pending since long while the senior officials concerned don’t seem to be considering such matters as their priority,” he added.

Over 1,000 applications related to various matters are lying pending with the LDA directorates since long, the official said and added that the applications included over 150 for NOCs, 80 cases related to approval of buildings’ maps and over 160 cases of private housing schemes.

“There are several cases of exemption (allocation of plots to landowners, adjustments), planning, technical and final approval of the housing schemes, subdivisions), pending with the top management alone, a sources said. Besides the pendency, he added, 650 applications are also lying pending with the LDA since the officials seem reluctant to pursue these matters.

The LDA looks non-serious also to revive the previous plans related to generation of funds for its sustainability. According to another source, the top management is busy in unnecessary exercises rather than doing anything practical.

“The management is acting on the famous idiom of ‘look busy, do nothing’. They (senior officials) are busy planting trees in the LDA’s areas or they are just holding meetings to snub juniors unnecessarily,” the source maintained.

Recently, he added, the management surprisingly started working on a useless proposal of a project on its precious land in the heart of the city. This 118 Kanal piece of land along Kot Lakhpat Fruit & Vegetable Market was purchased from the Model Town Society. It is currently being considered to be used for an IT centre under a joint venture with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) against the original plan of constructing the LDA twin towers there since the land allocated for this project on the Jail Road couldn’t be obtained from the Communication & Works Department.

“We are surprised why the LDA administration is the least concerned to execute the previous plans despite instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan who wants continuity of the viable plans and projects in collaboration with the local and foreign investors,” the official wondered.

The source also objected to the LDA’s active role in allowing high rises/apartment buildings in residential areas on the plots measuring 10 marla to 12 kanal or above on 30 to 100 feet roads.

“It seems the management, instead of ensuring peaceful life in the residential areas, wants to disrupt life of the common man,” he believed, saying Khuli Katcheries (open courts) too couldn’t be helpful to resolve the chronic issues.

LDA Vice Chairman S.M. Imran dispelled the impressions stated above, saying that he along with the director general and his other team members were trying hard to make the LDA a real public service delivery organisation.

“I myself visit the one window sometimes and ask the people about their problems. Most of them are of the view that their files get stuck at various directorates but no one complains about bribe.”

Mr Imran claimed that he was the only vice chairman who had taken frequent decisions to resolve various issues. As far as the twin towers project is concerned, he said, the private sector was not ready to join the LDA for launching it due to prevailing situation (fear of the National Accountability Bureau, Anti-Corruption Establishment, Federal Investigation Agency etc) and I have engaged the PITB to construct high rises but this is yet to be finalised, he said.

“I would also ask the senior officials, including the DG, for not getting several cases related to buildings’ maps and approval of housing schemes, NOCs, completion certificates and other issues lying pending at various directorates of the LDA,” Mr Imran pledged.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2019