LAHORE – Being scared of any disclosure after CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif warning, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Saturday held an in-camera governing body meeting at a committee room of its head office in Johar Town.
Sources revealed that the meeting mulled over a number of decisions taken by former LDA DG Umer Rasool including 100 percent waiver for the second time in building period to Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust flouting its own decision issued in 2001 and mocking sloganeering of merit and rule of law on the part of the Punjab government led by PML(N)’s Sharifs.
The new team LDA Chairman Ahmed Cheema and LDA DG Abdul Jabbar Shaheen replaced by former LDA Chairman Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta and LDA DG Umer Rasool also upheld the decision to extend the building period free of surcharge twice to 40-Kanal 0-Marla 22 Sft at Plot No 20 Block J / I and 3-Kanal, 18 Marla and 205 Sft at Plot No 27 to 31 Block J / I in Johar Town Scheme to Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust conditionally till 2011 for the construction of Aiwan-e-Quaid-e-Azam.
For the first time, the LDA chose to conduct a meeting under closed doors. The schedule of meeting also kept in secret to make sure that nothing is leaked out to press or for public consumption. Meanwhile, LDA spokesman also showed his ignorance of the meeting. Sources said that participants reviewed political pressures from various quarters affecting the performance of LDA and hotly debated various contending issues
A senior official told Pakistan Today that LDA director (C&I) Ishtiaq Chaudhary distributed copies of meeting among the members of governing body on February 8 that LDA governing body meeting scheduled to be held on February 10 had been cancelled due to unavoidable reasons and would subsequently be held on February 12 at committee room. However, all the officials and members of the government body were ordered not to disclose the occurrence of meeting to anyone.
Official said that LDA chairman Ahmed Cheema presided over in-camera meeting that was attended by newly-posted LDA Director General Abdul Jabbar Shaheen and scores of officials and town administrators. According to agenda, the meeting had to discuss the issue of exemption plots in the Bund Road area about which LDA (Land Development IV) issued a lengthy working paper.
Agenda featured the issue to write off Rs 36.1 million by LDA (estate management) on the allotment of a slaughter house at plot No 36 in Quaid-e-Azam Town.
