LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) administration suspended four officers from service on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the bogus allotment of three LDA plots, valued at over Rs300 million, in Johar Town.

A detailed inquiry has been ordered by LDA DG Tahir Farooq, according to an official source.

The suspended officers include deputy director Sabtain Raza Qureshi, IT deputy directors Syed Jahanzebul Hasan and Imran Akhtar and personal secretary Sarfraz Khokhar. They were directed to mark their attendance at the directorate of administration.

Issues related to bogus allotment of plots in Johar Town and various other LDA-owned housing schemes are on the rise, showing corruption allegedly involving officers.

Last year, an inquiry unearthed bogus files of 100 plots in Johar Town alone, as there was no record available with the LDA to authenticate such cases. These plots, ranging from five marlas to one kanal, were situated in various blocks and were fraudulently prepared by private individuals in collusion with LDA officers.

A recent SWOT analysis highlighted governance-related issues within the LDA, necessitating government intervention to improve service delivery. Even though the LDA is an old, autonomous and financially independent authority, it has struggled to achieve effective service delivery due to challenges such as budget constraints, HR issues, procedural constraints, lack of innovation and IT infrastructure, bureaucratic hurdles, and policy insufficiencies.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2024