LDA body reconstituted to scrutinise housing schemes

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has reactivated and reconstituted a committee to scrutinise the private housing schemes and land sub-divisions (small schemes) before approval.

Led by the LDA additional DG (Housing), the committee members include all the directors and deputy directors of the metropolitan planning wing, assistant directors (MP) concerned, director (law) and any other co-opted by the committee.

Constituted in July last year and made dormant or abolished allegedly by a former top official of the authority, the earlier committee had a key role in giving a final recommendation for the LDA director general to approve the housing schemes.

“After the committee was abolished, the LDA chief metropolitan planner (CMP) was asked to directly submit the cases related to grant of technical approval for the layout plans of all private housing schemes to the DG. An important filter to scrutinise the cases was eliminated,” Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, who holds the additional charge of LDA DG, said while talking to Dawn on Sunday.

“As soon as I assumed the charge of the LDA DG, I came to know about the status of this committee and decided to reactivate and reconstitute this committee with immediate effect. A notification has also been issued in this regard,” he added.

According to a notification, “to streamline the approval process of the private housing schemes, the scrutiny committee is hereby reactivated and reconstituted to thoroughly examine/scrutinise cases of schemes seeking technical approval of the layout plans and landlocked status of land subdivisions in the light of prevailing rules and regulations and master plan”.

The committee will also be responsible to examine site position and estimation of penalty (if applicable), NOCs/clearance required for technical approval, litigation and settlement of objections etc.

“The committee after scrutinising the cases will submit its report to the CMP for onward submission or otherwise. The CMP will submit the case to the competent authority along with his clear-cut recommendations as per law, rules/regulations for perusal,” the notification states.

Mr Randhawa said the mandate of the committee was not limited to the terms of reference (ToRs) alone as it can examine any case related to schemes’ approval.

“I have also directed the officers concerned to critically check all such cases to end any chance of illegality. In this way, we may also be able to improve governance,” the DG claimed.

In a statement, the commissioner/LDA DG said the purpose of this step was to make the process of approval of private housing societies more transparent.

“Now the private housing societies in Lahore will have to go through the comprehensive process of scrutiny before getting approval. It has been done to introduce a model of good governance,” he said, adding that the officers must complete the procedures under a timeline and avoid delays.

On the other hand, LDA CMP Nadeem Zaidi is unaware of the development.

“I don’t know about this development. However, we will follow the orders issued by the DG,” he said when contacted by this reporter.

FESTIVAL: One of the major events of the city–Spring Festival–concluded here on Sunday after a cycling race and a marathon.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2023