The Lahore Development Authority (LDA has dwarfed its most pompous and mega housing scheme designed to be developed on 0.2 million kanals along the Ferozepur Road after a land survey revealed that most part of the proposed area was unfit for construction or settlement, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The official survey conducted by the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) and tasked by the LDA declared that around 0.155 million kanals was unsuited and only 45 thousand kanals was clear for development of the housing scheme. On the stark findings, the LDA chief metropolitan planner formally ordered for a topographic survey of the rest of 45 thousand kanals and sought applications from interested consultancy firms.
An LDA senior official told Pakistan Today that the authorities had tasked the UET team headed by Professor Sardar Babar to conduct a land survey of the proposed 0.2 million kanals for the housing scheme on the pattern of Defence Housing Authority (DHA), bracketing Hadiyara Drain from the north, Soi Asal from the south and Main Railway Line from the west.
“The UET team submitted its findings to the LDA saying 0.155 million kanals could not be used for construction as the ground water was just 5 feet below the earth.
Findings said technically the aforementioned area was inept for any construction,” he added.
He said under the given situation, the proposed area would be realigned. Services from the NESPK would be hired for a topographic and aerial survey of the land, he added.
THE PROJECT: LDA Director General Abdul Jabbar Shaheen had issued a notification for construction of a mega housing scheme. The land had to involve 23 small towns including Moza Sadhar, Pandoki, Jalkey, Chehdow, Rakth Chehdow, Toor Wariach, Tehpanju, Badooki, Khand, Asal Suleman, Aato Asal, Kachah, Kang Sharif, Jiya Bagga, Chak Boota, Dhodhey, Raiwand, Karyal, Jalal Pura, Jadu Dheer, Ladhu Key Acheh, Watney and Moza Kangra.
In order to remove all legal hitches in the development of the scheme, the LDA had added a provision in the notification that an FIR would be registered against the land acquisition collector (LAC) and his subordinates if he tried to cancel the new acquisition notification.
The LDA also banned establishment of private housing schemes in the area and the Town Planning Branch has been issued directions forthwith.
An official of the Town Planning Branch said the saga of the said development had three parts. First, LDA approved the housing scheme on October 31, 2006 under the LDA Act 1975 to meet the residential requirements of the city.
However, the scheme hit snags because of reasons not known. Later, former LDA DG Umer Rasool announced two housing schemes, one on Ferozepur Road over 0.2 million kanals of land and the other on Raiwind Road over 25,000 kanals of land.
The housing schemes had to focus on preparing a large number of three-marla plots for widows, orphans and the destitute. However, the LDA did not issue the notification and later lost interest after it ran out of money.
Later the LDA DG issued a notification, demarcating the land and providing legal cover to it. Hence, one housing scheme covering around 25,000 kanals planned on Raiwand Road was excluded.
The second housing scheme covering 0.2 million kanals on Ferozpur Road was reduced to 45 thousand kanals owing to unsuitability of the land.
