The months-long dispute between the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the contractor of the city’s only parking plaza reached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday, which suspended an Additional Sessions Judge’s decision ordering the return of possession of the parking plaza to the contractor.
Following criticism over the handling of the parking plaza issue, the Director General of the RDA removed the Director of State Management from her post.
The contractor of the Fawara Chowk Parking Plaza had failed to pay rent to the RDA for seven months, resulting in outstanding dues of Rs482 million, including surcharge. The contractor offered to pay Rs150m against the outstanding amount immediately.
However, the Director of State Management, RDA, insisted on recovery of the full outstanding amount and refused to accept the Rs150m offered by the contractor.
The matter subsequently reached the courts. The RDA sealed the parking plaza and later began operating it under its own collection system. Following an order by the court directing the RDA to hand possession of the parking plaza back to the contractor, Commissioner and RDA Director General Salman Ghani removed Director State Management Maliha Eisar from her post and appointed her as Staff Officer to the RDA DG.
Staff Officer to the RDA DG Iftikhar Ali Janjua was subsequently appointed as Director State Management.
Separately, LHC Judge Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan suspended the Additional Sessions Judge’s decision concerning the restoration of possession of the parking plaza to the contractor and issued a stay order.
