MULTAN: The Anti- Corruption Establishment (ACE) has started a probe into the allegations of corruption against the Multan commissioner and the offi cers and offi cials of the Multan Development Authority (MDA) for allegedly playing the role of facilitators in the establishment of a housing scheme in the agriculture zone, Dawn has learnt.

Rana Sarfraz lodged a complaint with Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal while stating that the owners of the Citi Housing who are said to be relatives of property tycoon Malik Riaz, in connivance with Commissioner Javed Akhtar Mehmood and the offi cers and offi cials of the MDA, were cutting the trees and mango orchards illegally on a large scale and selling the plots in the name of the extension of scheme at 3,000 kanal located in the agricultural zone.

He said the Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench on Sept 4 last while deciding a petition fi led by the Citi Housing Private Limited directed the commissioner to decide the petition strictly in accordance with law as expeditiously as possible while hearing the petitioner as well as other concerned but despite passing more than fi ve months, the commissioner is not deciding the matter rather is using delaying tactics.

He alleged that the commissioner who has been posted in Multan with the help of one of his infl uential relatives was involved in corruption by using private touts and government offi cers by putting pressure on them.

He stated that the Citi Housing got the approval of a housing colony at 1,800 kanal and sold the plots after carrying out the development work over there and according to the MDA master plan 2008- 2028 (of the city) the adjoining area of the Citi Housing is the agriculture zone but the administration of the scheme without getting any approval from the MDA started selling the plots on 3,000 kanal land of agriculture zone.

He stated that while taking action in August 2019, the MDA demolished some portion of the developed work and got registered an FIR against the administration of the housing colony.

He stated that after the lodging of the FIR, the administration of housing colony submitted an application for the approval of the colony (extension block) but the MDA is unable to grant approval in agriculture zone for which the a petition was fi led by the housing colony administration with the LHC for the changing of master plan and the court directed the commissioner to decide the matter. “In the meanwhile, the housing scheme’s administration restarted the development work and the selling of plots is under way despite the fact the court directed the MDA and housing administration to maintain the status quo.

Now the offi cers of the MDA are silent and the commissioner also is not deciding the matter. The MDA neither is fi ling the contempt petition nor is stopping the development and selling process,” he stated. He requested that the role of the responsible persons should be defi ned by probing the matter and the FIR should be lodged against the commissioner and MDA offi cials besides stopping the development work and selling of plots. Without mentioning the date, commissioner Mehmood said that he would hear the parties as per the orders of LHC. MDA Director General Agha Ali Abbas said the MDA stopped the (development) work and directed the director urban planning to submit a report in this regard.

“The commissioner had to hear them (the parties),” he concluded. ACE Multan Director Haidar Abbas Wattoo said that the matter was being probed.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2021