FAISALABAD: A tussle between the Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) director general (DG) and its chairman ended with the termination of the latter.

Issuing a notification on Wednesday, Housing Secretary Nadeem Sadiq said the chief minister has withdrawn the nomination of Dr Asad Moazzam as FDA chairman.

Sources said DG Aamir Aziz and Chairman Dr Moazzam, who is a local leader of the PTI, had developed differences over the issue of approval of private housing colonies. Dr Moazzam had allegedly threatened to approach the National Accountability Bureau against the ‘FDA mafia’ supporting the mushroom growth of illegal private housing schemed and approving them without fulfilling legal formalities.

The FDA officials, however, alleged that the government had received complaints against Dr Moazzam for receiving bribes from some developers to help them solve their issues. Dr Moazzam did not respond despite repeated attempts to approach him for his comments.

In a meeting of the FDA governing body in August, the participants had revoked the transfer/posting powers of the DG and formed a committee of the body that would do the job.

Later on Aug 29, Commissioner Javeed Mehmood had written to the housing secretary that the FDA affairs had become a public affair due to the differences between the chairman and DG, causing embarrassment to the authority, divisional administration and the provincial government. Within the organization also, groups had emerged, he added.

He cited the governing body meeting where he claimed his representative was snubbed. “This speaks volume of the level of understanding of running the governing body or the board of management. Each member of such boards is fully empowered and authorised to comment on any or all the data points. Their contributions are not limited to their offices but all matters relating to the authority. The chairman has tried to impose the decision of a few on all,” he added.

About wrangling over administrative powers, the letter stated, the chairman had said sections 8 and 11 of the Punjab Development of Cities Act of 1976 empowered the authority to re-hash/clip powers of the DG. But the DG suggested a summary be sent to the chief minister for a decision in this regard.

Mehmood had further stated that although the issue could be resolved more professionally, it was still discussed as an ex-agenda item and representatives of the commissioner and deputy commissioner not allowed to speak.

Moreover, he added, the authority to transfer/post had been entrusted with a governing body committee, while the body and its sub-committees were meant to provide strategic guidelines and policy and not make executive decisions.

An FDA official said following the removal of Dr Moazzam, the governing body might be revamped, as the commissioner had also hinted at it. Sensing the current scenario of real estate “we had to make arrangements where the FDA can facilitate the developers as well as the general public “. Due to political intervention, the developers were suffering, although the authority was taking action against illegal elements, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2019