LDA takes action against illegal housing societies after PM Khan snubs.

LAHORE: LDA takes action against illegal housing societies after PM Khan snubs. Reprimanded by Prime Minister Imran Khan, for not controlling mushrooming illegal housing schemes, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the city police have expedited action against the rogue developers in Lahore as well as the districts of Kasur, Sheikhupura, and Nankana.

Sources said police officers rushed to the LDA headquarters on Saturday after the latter complained to the premier against the police for not registering FIRs against most of the total 576 illegal schemes despite receipt of references in this regard.

“During a meeting held a couple of days back, the PM was briefed about the ongoing drive against the land grabbers and the illegal housing schemes. The PM, on learning about as many as 600 illegal housing schemes developed in Lahore division, expressed anger over the LDA for not taking concrete action in this regard,” an official told Dawn requesting anonymity.

“However, when he (the PM) was told there was a problem on the part of the police that didn’t lodge FIRs in most cases against the illegal schemes’ developers despite receiving many references from the LDA, he immediately ordered the chief secretary and the senior police officials to ensure lodging of the FIRs in this regard,” the official added.

However, a senior LDA official claimed the PM reprimanded police, and not the LDA, over negligence in this regard since the authority had fulfilled its duty under the rules and regulations.

He said the 576 illegal housing schemes in the Lahore division include more than 200 developed during 2018 and 2019. Since some were developed in 2020 too, the LDA inherited most cases from the defunct town municipal administrations (TMAs) after the expansion of the authority’s control area from Lahore to Kasur, Sheikhupura, and Nankana Sahib districts.