GUJRAT: The Anti-Corruption Establishment has launched a probe into not holding fresh auction of the lease of at least 215 shops and 20 kiosks owned by the municipal corporation, located in and around the city’s general bus stand.

The local office of the ACE has already lodged two graft cases against the senior officials of the engineering and planning branches of the municipal corporation in the last few days. The MC is being headed by Mayor Haji Nasir Mahmood of the PML-N.

ACE Deputy Director Sajjad Gondal told Dawn on Tuesday that the five-year lease agreement of around 215 shops had expired some two years ago when the elected representatives took charge of the civic bodies in December 2016.

However, he said the MC authorities never bothered to go for the fresh auction of the lease, while the lessees had been depositing the monthly lease amount as per the annual increase into the account of the corporation.

As per law the lease agreements had to be renewed through auction so that the income of the civic body could be enhanced.

After approval of the probe, the ACE local officials would quizz the concerned officials of the corporation as well as the lessees.

Mr Gondal said it would also be determined during the probe that whether the lessees were running the shops themselves or had sublet these to someone else.

He said ACE notices were being issued to the officers concerned of the corporation and the lessees for their response.

It is learnt that in addition to these leased shops, at least 20 makeshift kiosks have also been set up on the premises of the bus stand which have never been auctioned or allowed legally. The probe will also fix the responsibility for functioning of these kiosks and determine the financial loss thus incurred to the MC.

Earlier, in the last week, the ACE had registered two different cases against some officials and contractors of the corporation for their alleged corruption in the rehabilitation work of the Nawaz Sharif Park and negligence and graft in commercialisation and approval of some buildings in the city.

Meanwhile, the owner of a marquee located along the old GT Road near Gurali has deposited Rs950,000 with the district council for the approval of the site plan of the building after the ACE initiated the probe into the matter. The marquee owner, allegedly in connivance with some officials of the district council, had evaded the taxes.

However, the ACE has summoned the concerned officials of the district council for their alleged negligence in the matter.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2018