Daily Times

An audit report has revealed a significant financial loss of Rs. 2734.094 million to the government due to the illegal conversion of agricultural land into industrial land without proper approval. According to Rule 30(1) of the Local Government Audit Report 2023, this conversion not only disrupted the master plan but also deprived the government of substantial revenue.

The Local Government’s Planning Department, for the fiscal year 2021-22, approved building plans for agricultural equipment workshops in the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL). However, a ground survey uncovered that these buildings were illegally being used as factories, transport companies, commercial warehouses, and other industrial purposes. This transformation occurred without proper approval for converting agricultural land into commercial/industrial land, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), causing the government a loss of Rs. 2734.094 million.

Moreover, the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from TEPA, the Environmental Department, and Civil Defense were also not obtained, further violating government regulations. The illegal approval of building plans resulted in a significant financial loss, which could have been prevented had the conversion fees been paid.

The audit pointed out that the approval of building plans without converting the land for industrial use led to a loss of Rs. 2734.097 million in conversion fees for the government. This issue was reported to the administration in May 2023, with a reminder sent on May 30, 2023. However, no response had been received by the time the report was finalized.

The audit team has recommended recovering the outstanding dues and holding the responsible individuals accountable. However, due to the negligence and disinterest of Chief Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, Ali Abbas Bukhari, neither has the recovery been made nor has any action been taken against those responsible. Instead, those involved have been granted immunity, allowing them to continue such actions with impunity. This ongoing negligence is a grave concern, leaving the government’s finances vulnerable to further losses.