FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) governing body chairman Dr Asad Moazzam and Director General (DG) Aamir Aziz have reportedly locked horns over the issue of administrative powers regarding private housing colonies’ approval.

According to sources, the chairman says a pro-housing colonies mafia is prevailing in the FDA. In the last meeting, the governing body revoked DG’s powers of transfers and postings.

Up to 301 illegal private housing colonies in Faisalabad are selling plots with the alleged connivance of the FDA officials.

As differences between the chairman and the DG visible, the commissioner wrote on August 29 to the housing secretary to reconstitute the body, saying the FDA had become a public and political debate due to the differences between the chairman and the DG which has caused huge embarrassment to the FDA, divisional administration and provisional government.

There internal conflicts have now started to affect the political and administrative machinery in the division. Within the organisation, clear and distinct groups have emerged which are garnering support in favour of one or the other.

The commissioner cited the recent meeting of the governing body, saying his representative in the meeting was snubbed.

“This speaks volume of the level of understanding to run the governing body or board of management. Each member of such boards is fully empowered and authorised to comment on any or all the data points. Their contributions are not limited to the extent of matters pertaining to their offices but all matters relating to the authority. The chairman has tried to impose the decision of a few on all,” commissioner said.

About wrangling over administrative powers, the chairman says the section 8 and 11 of the Punjab Development of Cities Act of 1976 empowers the authority to re-hash/clip powers of the DG. The DG refers to the summary to the chief minister under which powers of the two were decided on the advice of the law department.

The commissioner said although such a matter could be resolved and discussed in much more professional manner and haste in such sensitive matter is never recommended, still matter was discussed as an ex-agenda item and when representatives of commissioner and deputy commissioner tried to speak, they were not allowed. He said representative of the finance department was also not present.

Moreover, powers of transfer/posting were reportedly entrusted to a committee of the governing body. The body and its sub-committees are supposed to provide strategic guideline and policy and are not meant to take the routine executive decisions. An official of the FDA said it was wrong that they backed illegal private colonies.

He said evidence was available that they had demolished the structure of some illegal colonies, sealed their offices and also registered cases against them with different police stations.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2019