LAHORE: The LDA administration had its electrician, reportedly a ringleader of a gang, arrested on Thursday for allegedly harassing and looting the people by posing himself as deputy director (recovery).

Sources in the know of things said other members of the gang were also involved in introducing themselves as LDA officials (assistant directors of town planning and commercialisation, etc) in various residential localities of the provincial metropolis.

They said the gangsters were active in extorting money particularly from residents of Sabzazar, Maraghzar, Awan Town, Iqbal Town and the localities along Multan Road (Scheme Mor to Thokar stretch) by threatening them with imposition of fines on self-created objections regarding recovery, building plans, land use rules and commercialisation fee, etc.

“A resident has informed us on Wednesday that some people posing themselves as LDA officials (director recovery, ADs etc) would visit the area frequently and extort money on the pretext of various objections,” an LDA official told this reporter.

He said the authorities concerned became alerted and sent some officials in the field and caught ringleader Rasheed (LDA electrician) on the spot and handed him over to police.

He said the LDA management had also asked the police to arrest his remaining accomplices.

The official urged the people to help the LDA in exposing and capturing such elements.

He said the officials concerned were also keeping an eye on many other such persons who were also posing themselves as LDA officials and looting residents in Wapda Town, Johar Town, Township, Green Town, Tajpura, Mughalpura, Harbanspura, Shahdara and other localities.

Ringleader Rasheed was produced before the court of a local magistrate who referred his case to the Anti-Corruption Court for being a government employee.

PHASES: The LDA management has decided to formally divide the mega residential scheme (LDA City) on Ferozepur Road in three phases and launch a phase-wise development work.

An official said the management in a recent meeting decided to have a formal approval from the LDA’s governing body in the upcoming meeting in this regard. “The core objective of the decision is to start development work in phases keeping in view the status of the land acquired for the project. Around 7,000 of the total 60,000 kanal land have been acquired,” the official said.

He said it was also decided to get completed the on-going development and beautification work in various blocks/roads of the Avenue-1 Scheme (Raiwind Road) prior to launching uplift work in the LDA City.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2014