The provincial ombudsman has directed the director general of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to conduct an inquiry against the complaints of Al- Hafeez Gardens housing society and fix corrective measures and report about the same within 90 days. This order follows repeated reminders to the LDA as well as no response.
According to the residents of the society, the developers along with supposedly supported officials of LDA are guilty of serious breaches in the last decade. In a 100-plus resident signed complaint it is claimed that the plots allocated to give basic amenity in the area have been sold, the width of the roads has been cut to provide more plots and the basic infrastructure in the area has been delayed. It was also reported that the residents also incurred additional costs on gas connections.
The petition also charges the owners of the society with tax evasion as well as authorization of residential blocks against the rules of the Private Housing Schemes 2014. In particular, four blocks, less than 100 kanals each, were cleared without the provision of the necessary facilities such as a graveyard. Households allege the sale of too much plots created a shortage of space on mosques, waste control and other services. Ismail Block, 208 approved plots, have been reported to be 460 on the ground, and Ibrahim block which was approved to have only 173 plots reported have had 250 plots on the ground.
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LDA officials assured and admitted that a senior officer was delegated to conduct the inquiry as per the orders given by the ombudsman and that they will abide by the orders. The housing society study depicts that strong regulatory watch is important to safeguard the residents interests. The involvement of LDA in this accountability would continue playing an important role in this investigation.
