LAHORE, Sept 6: The city district authorities seem to be pursuing a policy of pick and choose viz-a-viz illegal constructions and encroachments as those owned by the influential are being overlooked.

The district authorities and town administration have not yet taken action against a provincial minister, who allegedly through his front men has illegally built four shops on a piece of state land worth millions of rupees on Napier Road close to Patiala Ground, as he is stated to be a friend of the district nazim.

The friendship is so close that the district nazim reportedly hosted a dinner at his Model Town residence last week for union council nazims and councillors belonging to the constituency of the minister to urge them to actively work to secure his win in the next general election.

An official of the Data Gunj Bakhsh Town administration said they had tried to remove a shop built on a state land last year but the minister had the operation stopped. The illegal occupants had also allegedly manhandled the anti-encroachment squad.

This gave a free hand to the land-grabbers who have constructed more shops on the site, the official said, fearing that an illegal plaza might spring up at the place in near future.

One of the shops has been rented out to a cellular company’s franchise while junkyards have been set up in the three other shops.

Town Nazim Tariq Sana Bajwa said on Saturday last that they could not start the operation against illegal occupants because of heavy rain throughout the day. He, however, admitted that the action could be initiated only with the support of the high-ups as the grabbers were very influential.

Similarly, by-laws are being violated in the construction of a plaza in Garden Town but the authorities have turned a blind eye to it. The owner after changing his political loyalty is now enjoying the support of the ruling PML tycoons.

Main sewer lines have been damaged and a portion of road linking Garden Town’s main boulevard with Ferozpur Road at Kalma Chowk has been broken and occupied for over a year to dump construction material for the plaza there. The road is still lying in a shambles as the law-breaker cannot be taken to task for his connections, Gulberg Town officials say.

The city bosses also backed out of Shahalam Market’s dangerous buildings issue when powerful owners un-sealed their plazas. The district government has deferred its decision on the fate of these buildings “until a structure stability survey by UET experts.”

But when it comes to minor encroachers the district authorities take stern action and get annoyed with officials concerned for not initiating action against them.

During a progress review meeting on Monday, Mian Amer Mahmood reportedly was mad at the solid waste management department men for failing to keep a permanent check on poor cart-pushers selling fruit at some points on Canal Bank Road.

When called, DCO Mian Ijaz was not available for comments.