The LDA allocates territory to the police, environmental departments

It looks like the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has agreed to give land to the Police Department to improve the security of Qurban Police Lines, and to the Environment Protection Department to set up its head office.

Dawn has also learned that the authority has approved the conversion of residential land in the Sabzazar scheme to be used for a new graveyard, which will be built in the same place.

Records from a recent meeting of LDA’s governing body say the authority was asked by the police department (SSP Telecommunication) to give them land under the Sherpao Bridge so they could improve the security of Qurban Police Lines.

It was thought that the land that was one kanal, six marla, and 32 SqFt of LDA Workshop, Sherpao Bridge would be given to the LDA. They set the reserve price for this site at Rs60 million per kanal at a meeting last October.

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The land is for security on the Qurban Lines and the EPD’s main office in New York City.

Following that, the allotment committee agreed to give the site to the Punjab police on the condition that they pay Rs20 million, which is 1/3 of the reserve price per kanal. They then recommended that the matter be put before the next authority meeting for final approval.

based on clause 7 of the LDA Regulations, 2019, the total cost of the land was worked out to be Rs26 142 million. It asked the police department to pay 30 percent of the cost of Rs7.843 million within 90 days, and the rest in two equal payments spread out over not more than a year, so that the total cost would not be more than one year.

“However, the police department said that they had set aside $6.971 million in the ADP FY2021-22 for the payment of the subject land, and asked for a revised challan of $6.971 million (the first instalment) and the rest of the money ($19.171 million) to be paid as per the policy of the LDA.” Also, the Environment Protection Department asked the LDA to find land that was 25 to 30 kanal in a good location and accessible for a Green Building that would house the EPD and its agencies. A representative from a department met with the head of the LDA and talked about public utility sites in different housing projects. At last, the EPD approved the allotment of land measuring 9.99 kanal at Ettihad Town and a few miles away from Thokar Niaz Baig.

It was decided at a meeting on July 16, 2021, that the reserve price for the site was Rs29 million per kanal. On December 13, last year, LDA sent a letter to the department that said the site could be used if the right person approved. After all that, the department signed off on giving this site to a company that wants to build a “Model Green Building” there for a third of the reserve price (Rs9.666 per kanal).

Finally, the allotment committee approved the case at its meeting on December 16. The case was also approved by the governing body, which then approved it.

Because of how many offices the EPD has, there isn’t as much space as there used to be to house them. The EPD headquarters have been in the building of a hockey stadium, Nishtar Park (next to Gaddafi Stadium). In addition, when a cricket series starts, the whole area is closed off by the police to make sure both the players and spectators are safe. This makes it hard for the officials to reach their offices.

It also approved a plan to turn 23 of the 121 acres of land that isn’t used into a new graveyard at the Sabzazar housing project, which already has a graveyard that covers 84 acres but is too small for more burials.

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