THE Supreme Court recently issued its verdict in a case regarding the DHA Lahore’s practice of selling plots of the land of which it has only taken possession without getting it transferred to the name.

The apex court feels that the DHA cannot act as the absolute law regarding its own matters and that there needs to be some checks on this and also on the running of similar bodies.

Let me quote my own example which so many others are also experiencing at the hands of the DHA, Lahore. In 2010, I applied for a plot in the newly-floated scheme DHA (EME City) Lahore. With the application, a sum of Rs391,000 was also deposited as initial payment for a plot measuring one kanal. No plot was allotted but the DHA, on Oct 12, 2010, sent a letter saying that the ‘application was declared successful’.

When I wanted to know the location of the DHA (EME City), I was shocked to learn that the DHA had not even acquired the land in Lahore for this scheme.

I decided to get my plot cancelled and asked for return of my initial payment. I was shocked to know that once applied no part of the initial payment could be returned, according to the authority’ rules.

Perhaps the Supreme Court while hearing the ongoing case against the DHA could provide some relief to me and many others whose money is stuck up in DHA coffers.

Sayed GB Shah Bokhari

Peshawar

(2)

A COUPLE of years ago, I bought a small piece of land in a housing society with the name of Air Avenue near Lahore international airport.

When I shifted to my own house, the society got merged into the DHA, Lahore, and became Phase VIII, DHA. To my surprise and shock we were asked to deposit a hefty amount to the DHA, Lahore, as ‘merger fee’.

This was despite the fact that the merger of our society with the DHA was decided among the owner (s) of the society and the DHA, and the consent of the residents was never sought. Now the residents are being asked to get the construction map approved by the DHA, and the houses must be built according to the by-laws of the DHA, Lahore.

This means some demolitions of the constructed portions and reconstruction of some as per the DHA-approved plan.

Such alterations will be an additional burden on the poor residents for no sin of theirs. Had they wished to reside in the DHA, they would have constructed their houses in the DHA.

I request DHA authorities to review the cases of those residents of phase VIII who constructed the houses before the merger.

A resident

Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2015

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