Law reform: New powers for LDA challenged

[Salman]

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought replies from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), the provincial government and the local government secretary on a writ petition challenging provisions of LDA Amendment Act, 2013.

The petitioner, Mehar Liaqat Ali Abid, a former local government councillor, said the LDA had become “more powerful” than the constitutionally mandated local governments after the amendment.

Abid said the sweeping new powers to LDA and change in its constitution had rendered “ineffective the local government scheme in Article 140A of the Constitution and Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001.”

The latest amendments had given the LDA sweeping powers over design of master plan, land use, classification and reclassification in the entire Lahore division.



Prior to the amendment, LDA’s jurisdiction had extended only to the Lahore district but under the new legislation.

The law (amending LDA Act, 1975) would also reinstate the chief minister as the LDA chairman.

Earlier, the Lahore district nazim was made ex-officio LDA chairman.

The petitioner said several provisions of the LDA Amendment Act, 2013, should be removed.

The petitioner’s lawyers include Waqqas Mir, Arhsad Nazir Mirza and Asif Kahloon.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2014.