LAHORE:In response to a Right To Information (RTI) application, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has declared that it has no record of the complaints related to alleged corruption of LDA employees, which were pending with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).
The scribe submitted the RTI asking details of the alleged corruption cases of LDA officers going on in Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) or which cases ACE sent back to the LDA for internal investigation.
The LDA replied that the complaints related to alleged corruption of LDA employees, which were pending with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), were maintained and held by the ACE as per their prescribed procedure and the relevant record of such cases lied with ACE.
The LDA replied that whenever any complaint was forwarded to LDA by the ACE, action was taken in light of report/comments received from the sections concerned in accordance with the relevant rules.
So far as disciplinary action under PEEDA Act, 2006 was concerned, the officers were proceeded against under Act ibid. In cases where an officer was found guilty, appropriate penalty/penalties was/were imposed under Act ibid after completing all codal formalities. It was stated in the LDA’s reply that no information pertaining to any specific officer was requested. However, if detail regarding any specific employee was required, the same shall be examined and provided strictly in accordance with the relevant laws, rules and policies.
Interestingly, in its reply, the LDA didn’t mention the names/details of any officer(s) against whom the LDA conducted proceedings under PEEDA Act as well as the data about the officers against whom ACE wrote letters to the LDA for carrying out internal inquiries.
Sources in LDA’s Administration Wing claimed that many officers/officials ‘managed’ the complaints filed against them at ACE by getting them marked for departmental internal inquiry and when such complaints reached here they were put under the piles of files.
Sources claimed that this was a very big lacuna in ACE system that they didn’t intimate the department concerned about any inquiry, which should be improved and departments concerned should be intimated.
When contacted, Director C&I and Chief PIO of LDA said the LDA replied to every RTI as per rules and regulations. He said the LDA believed in transparency and in house accountability system.
