LAHORE – The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Saturday sent on forced retirement three sub engineers and building inspectors for involvement in the construction of illegal high-rise buildings in the city while departmental proceedings against another official were dropped due to his death.
The officials sent on retirement are Riaz Akhtar Khokhar, Aamir Rashid and Pervaiz Khurshid Shah while Muhammad Farooq has died. The High Rise Commission, constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court for inspecting illegal plazas in the city, had recommended proceedings against the above-mentioned officials for their involvement in the construction of illegal plazas.
Departmental proceedings were initiated against Riaz Akhtar Khokhar, Aamir Rashid, Pervaiz Khurshid Shah and Muhammad Farooq for joining hands with owners of several commercial buildings which were constructed without any building plan and on residential plots on which the accused neither took any action nor reported the irregularities.
The LDA also removed from service two junior clerks Sohail Zafar and Muhammad Jahangir for not joining a fact-finding inquiry which was being conducted against them on charges of selling plots by preparing fake documents. Both the officials had been deliberately absent from their duty since February 11, 2009. A show-cause notice under PEDA Act 2006 was served upon both officials. To provide them an opportunity of defence, a notice was also published in newspapers on February 11, 2011 asking them to appear before the LDA administration director. They were directed to submit their reply within seven days but they failed to do so.
