LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has issued notices to owners of as many as 300 properties situated in the districts of Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib for using their premises commercially on various approved roads without paying the requisite fee to the authority.

Since the LDA is also set to issue notices to the owners of dozens of more such properties in coming days in this regard, it has launched a drive to create awareness among the people regarding its scope of work, its territorial jurisdiction and the role of defunct town municipal administrations (TMAs).

“For the first time since expansion of the LDA’s scope of work from Lahore city district to Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib in 2014, we have issued notices to such a huge number of properties (approximately 300). Though the owners have converted their land-use status into commercial nature on various approved roads, including Lahore-Sheikhupura Road, they have reportedly neither got their properties commercialised from LDA nor paid any fee to it since long. That is why we have done this so as to assess the real situation,” an official told Dawn on Saturday. “And if someone has any proof about commercialisation of property by the TMAs (now defunct) in the past, he may contact the authority,” he added.

In 2014, the Punjab government, through a notification No. SOR (LG) 38-2 of Jan 23, 2014, had expanded the LDA’s territorial jurisdiction from Lahore to Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib to the extent of the approval and control of private housing schemes and land-use conversion (agriculture to residential, commercial, industrial etc). The reason for this decision was to stop growth of illegal housing schemes and conversion of change of the nature of the land. Since there was a lack of awareness among the public at large, the people kept converting nature and using their properties commercially without paying requisite [commercialisation] fee. Moreover, owing to lack of awareness on the part of the people, the TMAs despite knowing about the expansion of LDA’s scope of work, unlawfully approved commercialisation cases of some properties.

“As directed by the LDA DG, the purpose of this new campaign is to sensitise the public to get their properties commercialised from LDA. So we conducted a detailed survey of approved commercial roads and gave notices to the owners for illegal commercialisation in above mentioned districts. Furthermore, banners and placards have also been displayed at all the public buildings including DC office, Labour Office, Metropolitan Corporation/Tehsils and District Council for awareness of general public,” the official said.

He said during the survey the property owners quoted the officials as claiming the areas (three districts) would soon be a prerogative of TMAs. Thus there is no need to pay conversion fees to LDA. “That is why we have started sensitising the people to the jurisdiction of the LDA,” he added.

RETRIEVED: Various teams of city administration and LDA retrieved state land/plots worth millions in separate operations. A team headed by Shalimar AC retrieved over three kanal land in Harbanspura while an LDA squad took over possession of three plots (each one kanal) in Johar Town from land grabbers.

The team also reclaimed possession of a five marla house in Johar Town.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2020