LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) seems to have surrendered to a housing scheme, which, in clear violation of rules and regulations, has not only developed illegal commercial area abutting the Pine Avenue near the Defence Road but also continues creating inconvenience for business activities and traffic congestions.

“The LDA quickly demolishes even small illegal structures due to the route of the VVIPs. But as far as this commercial area developed unlawfully by a private housing scheme is concerned, the LDA continues keeping silent,” the man, who wished not to be quoted, said while criticising top LDA officials for not taking action on the pretext of pressure from high-ups.

According to a senior LDA official, the sponsors of the housing scheme, Wocland Villas, had surrendered their personal land before the LDA for construction of Pine Avenue in the past. But, they, fraudulently, surrendered the land, where greenbelts, roads, parks etc were already developed and transferred to the LDA as public property under the law. They succeeded in obtaining commercialisation rights to various plots of the mentioned above land by manipulating the revenue record.

“When it came to the knowledge of the top officials, an inquiry was conducted, which exposed the wrongs. As a result, commercialisation rights were cancelled,” the official, requesting anonymity, added.

The owner denies allegations

But the buildings constructed on the plots were neither demolished nor their setback area (30 feet deep from road for parking) and greenbelt area (10 feet or so) was got vacated by dismantling the structures partially, he said.

This not only affected the lawful businesses but also exposed surrender of the state before the ‘powerful illegal commercialisation mafia’.

According to an inquiry report conducted by an officer, the perusal of the record in the instant case, it revealed that in LDA’s metropolitan wing, a transfer deed was submitted by the developers of the scheme on Aug 25, 2008 for roads and parks that the transferrer hereby transferred to the transferee (TMA Nishtar town) free of charge all its rights for an area measuring 22.72 kanal in housing scheme. The transfer deed and the approved scheme plan of housing scheme revealed that the segment of the road and greenbelt was having same Khasra numbers against which the developers had claimed entitlements rights for commercialisation.

Following the probe, the LDA withdrew approval of the entitlement TP/25010/6165 of Dec 18, 2023 and commercial letters bearing numbers TP/25010/H/114, TP/25010/F-115, TP/25010/E-116, TP / 25010/G-117 and TP/25010/C118—all issued on June 21, 2024.

“You are hereby directed to withdraw and remove all activities and strictly follow the land use rules, 2020 in letter and spirit,” it said.

It is worth mentioning that before this inquiry, the LDA officers concerned also gave an opportunity to the developers to file replies to the LDA notices. However, the developers stuck to their claim of their commercialisation as genuine. Later, an inquiry was ordered that cancelled the aforementioned letters issued earlier in favour of the developers due to concealment of the facts.

When contacted, LDA Chief Town Planner Muhammad Azhar confirmed illegalities committed by the housing scheme developers and said a massive action was being planned against them for their unlawful commercialisation.

“We have already cancelled their commercialisation rights. And now we are set to cancel their building plans they had got approved earlier by concealing the facts,” he said, adding that soon after canceling the building plans, the LDA team would go for sealing and demolition of this illegal commercialisation.

LDA Director General Tahir Farooq was not available for comments.

When contacted, Waheed Farooq Chaudhry, the owner of Wocland Villas, dispelled the impression and termed commercialisation as done under the law, rules and regulations.

“I strongly reject the cancellation letters issued by the LDA director who is not a competent authority to do so. These letters were issued without seeking verification from the relevant authorities/record. And after verification, it proved that the commercialisation rights were given to us against the land we surrendered to the LDA under the law,” he explained.

When asked whether he had complained to the LDA director general in this regard, he said: “Yes, we did. But generally we don’t indulge ourselves in any conflict with the department with which we deal with various jobs/works”.

When asked about giving the verification, confirming the commercialisation as based on facts, he said this document was available with the LDA and not him. When asked about- the complaint that he submitted to the DG against the cancellation letters, he said he did it all in writing.

“And the DG, when we complained, assured us of protecting our commercialisation rights the LDA had given us in the past,” claimed Mr Chaudhry.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025