LAHORE, July 12; The City District Government will not allow opening of new schools in the Lahore Development Authority schemes without prior permission.

District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood stated this during a meeting with the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association here on Monday.

He said those desirous of opening the schools would have to submit applications to the LDA. The authority would issue NOCs to this effect after eliciting public opinion about their plans through the media.

He said the schools being run for the past three years would be allowed to function without ascertaining the public opinion. The Nazim said all the schools would have to pay the commercialization fee at the prescribed rate of 1.5 per cent of the notified price of plots.

The management of the schools would be issued notices for the recovery of the fee through the TCS. Amer Mahmood said the schools would be sealed in the event of non-payment of fee despite the receipt of notices.

He said only Town Municipal Administration was authorized to recover professional tax. Union councils could not recover the tax. Meanwhile the CDG food squad seized 65 kilograms of spurious tea during a raid outside the Delhi Gate and instituted cases against the dealers under the Pure Food Ordinance provisions.

ELECTED: Ziaul Haq Nannah was on Monday elected Union Counil 17 Nazim and Abdul Rehman Butt Union Council 73 Naib Nazim. Congratulating Abdul Rehman Butt, Data Ganj Bakhsh Town Nazim Khwaja Hassaan and Naib Nazim Mian Usman said his unopposed election to the seat vacated due to adoption of a no-trust motion against his brother, Irfan Butt, was a recognition of the good work being done by the town administration.