LDA collected Rs 2.34b commercialisation fee in 2012

[Salman]

LAHORE : LAHORE Development Authority has collected Rs 2.34 billion on account of commercialisation fee, including Rs 2 billion under the head of permanent commercialization and Rs 340 million against annual/temporary commercialisation in 2012.

About 500 properties, which had failed to pay the commercialisation fee despite repeated notices, had been sealed during this period to gear up collection of commercialisation charges from these properties.

Town Planning Wing of LDA disposed of all 238 applications seeking permanent commercialisation besides taking action on 168 out of 170 pleas for extension in the permission for annual commercialisation. The LDA also received a total of 4,273 applications for approval of building plans and 817 for issuance of completion certificates of buildings out of which 4,244 and 803 were disposed of respectively.

Metropolitan Planning Wing of LDA has shortlisted six international firms, having representation in Pakistan and has invited ‘Technical and Financial Proposals’ from them for preparation of Master Plan 2035 for Lahore. Advertisements to seek bids from such firms were published in national and international newspapers in August 2012.

The LDA also launched crackdown on 25 out of the 240 approved private housing schemes in the provincial metropolis which had violated the scheme plan approved by LDA, sold the mortgaged plots, carved out plots in public utility sites or illegally extended their schemes without getting necessary approval from LDA.

An unusual awareness campaign was launched for the benefit of prospective buyers of plots in these schemes by prominently publishing advertisements in the newspapers besides setting up a special counter number 3 at LDA’s One Window Cell for providing information to them about the legal status of private housing schemes and plots situated in them.

Marketing and advertisement campaigns by private housing schemes were also closely monitored and their unsubstantiated claims regarding their housing schemes were countered for safeguarding the savings of the intending buyers.

LDA took a number of steps to ensure completion of development works in these schemes. It also adopted measures for executing transfer deed of public utility sites of these schemes in favour of LDA for facilitating their sale through open auction for setting up schools and medical centres in these schemes.

LDA has compiled data of 53 non-approved private housing societies in its controlled area and registered 1,200 cases against such schemes during 2012. LDA also took punitive action against a number of such schemes and demolished their site offices as well boundary walls.

The LDA also undertook planning and development of Finance and Trade Centre, Johar Town, spreading over an area of 1,123 kanals, according to the international standards. A hotel site measuring 118 kanals, located in the Finance and Trade Centre was auctioned against Rs 2.17 billion. A total 55,312 applications of various natures were submitted by the people at the One Window Cell of LDA in 2012. About 54,191 applications had been disposed of so far. An average of 150 applications had been disposed of daily out of the 153 applications received at the One Window Cell during 2012, at a disposal rate of 98 per cent every day. Maximum number of applications i.e. 6,948 had been received for issuance of transfer letters out of which 6,840 had been disposed of. Other applications pertained to issuance of attested copy challan, issuance of attested copy, allocation letter, allotment of plot, building period extension challan, issuance of building period extension, balance dues, change of plot, checking of file, construction of duplicate file , correction/amendment, court orders, duplicate papers challan, excess area challan, exemption approval, exemption challan, exemption letter, final demand notice, gift transfer, legal heirs, NOC challan, NOC issuance, PTM issuance, PTM challan, physical possession, placement of documents challan, placement of documents issue ,possession order, publication challan, publication issue, release of mortgaged plots, reminder, reply to notice, site plan, stay order, sub-division challan, sub-division issue, urgent transfer challan, urgent transfer issue and verification of documents.

The Security Featured Documents Cell of LDA issued a total 16,417 documents of 14 different natures, including allocation letter, completion letter, physical possession delivery, entitlement letter, exchange letter, exemption letter, legal heirs, ownership requisition, PTN, physical possession, possession order, sanction plan and transfer letter during 2012. The Engineering Wing of LDA completed construction of 3.4 kilometres long Bhogiwal Road from GT Road to Band Road at a cost of Rs 580 million in 2012. The 1.5 kilometres long Link Road from Bhogiwal Road to China Road, Gujjarpura, was constructed at a cost of Rs 60 million. Improvement of 1.5 kilometres long road from Model Bazaar Gujjarpura to Chota Ravi Drain at a cost Rs 17 million was carried out. The project for construction of road from Neelam Block, Allama Iqbal Town, to Multan Road, along Khrak Drain, was completed at a cost of Rs. 142 million.

Improvement and widening of the 3.75 kilometres long Khyban-e-Firdousi, from Showk Chowk to Shoukat Khanum Hospital, was carried out at a cost of Rs 120 million. An amount of Rs 110 million was spent on the improvement and widening of 3 kilometres long Abu Al-Hassan Isfahani Road from Akbar Chowk to demolished roundabout of Faisal Town near Jinnah Hospital. Work on two kilometres long under-construction road from Wapda Town Roundabout to Hakim Chowk is also near completion at a cost of Rs 120 million. LDA also carried out repair, maintenance and construction of internal roads in various housing schemes, including Johar Town, Sabazazar, Garden Town, Gulberg, Faisal town, Garden Town and LDA Avenue-I.