LAHORE: In a day-long operation launched early Friday morning, the teams of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and police retrieved 15 kanals by demolishing 195 shops constructed illegally at Jinnah Market in Quaid-i-Azam Town (Township).

Several shopkeepers rushed to the spot soon after the start of the operation at 3am in a bid to save their goods. They also demonstrated on the spot and chanted slogans against the Punjab government and the LDA for displacing them without any notice. Some of them were also arrested by the police for offering resistance and creating hurdles in the operation.

Led by a senior official, police force from three city divisions took part in the operation.

“Since coming into power, this government has been treating small shopkeepers badly either in the form of price hike or demolishing the structures/premises on the pretext of anti-encroachment drive,” a shopkeeper told media on the spot. Another said they had offered the LDA to allot them shops on market rates, but their request was not entertained.

LDA retrieves 15 kanals worth billions

According to LDA Director General Ahmad Aziz Tarar, the issue was around 40 years old that was finally resolved by the LDA governing body.

“The body decided to retrieve the shops from all illegal occupants/shopkeepers. And finally, we retrieved the state land worth over Rs2 billion,” he told Dawn.

“Before the launch of the operation, we issued them notices repeatedly. They (the shopkeepers) filed as many as 60 civil suits in a bid to get the stay order. But none of the courts issued a stay order,” he maintained.

According to a report, 203 shops were constructed in the Jinnah Market by the housing department in 1987. Well before handing over the scheme to the LDA in 1994, the department allotted seven shops to applicants. After taking over the possession, the LDA administration allotted one shop to a shopkeeper while the rest (195) remained under illegal occupation.

“They were neither paying rent nor vacating shops despite the fact the LDA tried hard to do so. They also got several stay orders to prolong their illegal procession. Finally, the matter was placed before the chief minister who sought demolition of the shops and retrieval of the precious land,” Rafia Nazir, director of the estate management (Quaid-i-Azam Town) told Dawn.

She rejected shopkeepers’ stance, stating that they always kept putting pressure on the LDA through various tactics.

“The LDA has decided to develop a shopping plaza or start any other commercial activity to raise its revenue,” she added.

Meanwhile, the LDA has announced giving a one-month salary as honorarium to all of its employees who participated in Friday’s operation.

GOVERNING BODY: The LDA governing body on Friday approved various development projects. In a meeting presided over by LDA Vice-Chairman SM Imran, the authority approved revised PC-1 of the Arena Walk and Shop Centre (Johar Town), the water reservoir in the Tajpura scheme, and the revised plan of the LDA City Housing Project’s Iqbal sector.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2021