The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has put on the back burner the allotment of 1,156 plots to its regular employees in violation of the employment quota rules and the Supreme Court’s verdict (SC), Pakistan Today has learnt. According to rules, all LDA employees, who have completed 10 years of service, are entitled to allotment of plots which are three percent of the total plots in each housing society falling in the jurisdiction of the authority. Plots were allotted for the first time in 1980 and given for the second time in 2008. Out of the total 2,225 plots, around 1,069 have already been distributed to employees by balloting. But the third time balloting for 1,156 plots has been pending until now.
These plots are to be awarded to employees but by using delaying tactics, the process has been put on hold. “A strong lobby of the DMG Group and those working on deputation on key posts in LDA are behind the delay,” a senior LDA official told Pakistan Today. “Owing to their lopsided policies, people had to go to courts to seek justice that led to delay and sometimes DMG officers refused to hold meetings for finalising the process,” he added. Spilling the beans, he said that the DMG officers and officers on deputation included Director Headquarter Suqrat Aman, Director Administration Shahid Fareed, who was son-in-law of Punjab Law Secretary and former LDA director general (DG) Umer Rasool had messed up the situation.
Another DMG officer, Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, who now has additional charge of LDA DG, is not different from his predecessor and delaying the issue, he added. As the officers on deputation did not have entitlement to plots, they lacked the interest to smoothen the allotment process, the LDA official said. Sources privy to the development said that DMG officers and officers on deputation played a role in misdistribution of plots to employees violating rules in February 2010 by taking millions of rupees as commission. After the scam surfaced, sources said, LDA had to cancel the allotment procedure and Umer Rasool took notice of the issue and made directors Nadeem Akhtar Ghori and Muhammad Ali officers on special duty (OSD).
DMG officers mismanaged the situation by deciding to deprive all employees, who had served even 20 years in the authority, contrary to the recommendations submitted by the LDA committee formed on directions of Umer Rasool that employees who served 10 years should be eligible for allotment of plots, an official in LDA Headquarter said. According to the new plan, LDA has to allot one kanal plot to each official of LDA and WASA of BPS-18 and 19 who has completed 10 years of service. Similarly, officials of BPS-16 and 17 will also be given plots. As there is a shortage of 3 to 7 marla plots, employees from BPS-1 to 15 will remain deprived.
LDA allotted 190 plots to its employees in 1988 by balloting and 548 plots were given by balloting in 2008. The plots were located at Johar Town Phase-I and Phase-II (89), Sabzazar Scheme Phase-I, Phase-II (133), Jubilee Scheme (119), Mohanwal Scheme (26), Gujjarpura Scheme (163) and Mustafa Town (18). But the process of allotments of plots was termed illegal in February, 2010.According to the SC order, LDA was required to calculate three percent quota to be allotted to LDA employees in all new schemes. After due deliberation and series of discussions, the committee reached the conclusion that the remaining regular employees of LDA having a minimum service of 10 years be allotted plots on promulgation of disposal of land by Development Authorities (Regulations) Act 1988.
