The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has attached new strings to the controversy-ridden LDA housing plots with new eligibility criterion for its employees to participate in balloting on May 25, leaving them reeling from disappointment.The issue has become more of an enigma as the stage was set for the May 25 balloting after a long wait. Earlier, the plot balloting was schedule for May 13 and had been cancelled twice since 2008.LDA has sought details of all assets belonging to its employees.
LDA staffers or their family members who already own plots will not be entitled to new plots. “The new condition has been imposed in the light of the Punjab government’s plot allotment policy according to which there is a ban on allotment of plots to government servants who already possess plots. Besides, plots will not be allotted to those public servants whose family members or dependents including wife, and children already own a plot,” said an office order issued by LDA Director (Admin) Shahid Farid who is brother-in-law of the provincial law secretary presently working in LDA on secondment. The office order further stated that all employees must submit their asset details by May 18 to be eligible for the draws on May 25.
An LDA official, who asked not to be named, told Pakistan Today that LDA employees were allotted housing plots in 1980 for the first time and in 2008 for a second time by draw. He said out of the total 2,225 plots, 1,069 have already been distributed among employees by draw. “Astoundingly, the strings attached to new balloting never existed during previous draws”, he added. Last time, LDA planned to hold balloting in February 2010 but it was cancelled after massive irregularities were surfaced in the allotment of plots. LDA then decided to hold balloting on March 10, but the process was cancelled after the court issued restraining orders on a petition by LDA employee Muhammad Khalid.
Later, some dates were thrashed out for the much-awaited draws but were withdrawn. Finally, it was decided to carry out balloting on May 13. The official aid that LDA DG Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, before his departure abroad, approved the balloting date and LDA issued a notification in this regard three days ago. He said that LDA had also formed an allotment committee comprising WASA DG Javed Iqbal as its convener, additional DG housing, a legal advisor and project director (IT) Mansoor Butt.
The committee will also decide the issues regarding duplication of plots, he added. The much trumpeted balloting was cancelled again at the eleventh hour. The official said the secretary housing, who was standing in for LDA DG Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, avoided supervising the balloting process and put off the date for May 25 so that the LDA DG who will return home on May 22 does the task by his own hands. According to sources, all LDA and WASA employees who have completed 10 years of their service are entitled to plots in housing societies falling in the jurisdiction of authority.
LDA and WASA officials of grade 18 and 19 will get one-kanal plot each, grade 16 and grade 17 officials will get 10 marla plots each, grade 11 to grade 15 officials will get 7 marla plots each, grade 6 to grade 10 officials will get five marla plots each and grade 1 to grade 5 employees will get 3 marla plots each.
