Nominal Rs417 monthly lease of Gymkhanas startles PA

Lahore: Punjab Assembly members Wednesday were taken aback to discover that state-owned land is leased to gymkhana clubs for as little as Rs417 per month, revealed by ruling party Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mian Amjed Ali Javaid.

Initially thought to be Rs470, the discrepancy was clarified by another MPA, Sami Ullah Khan that it was not Rs470 but Rs417.

This revelation left legislators surprised, with Speaker Malik M Ahmad Khan unable to comment further.

Senior member Saeed Akbar Niwani lamented the stark contrast between the nominal fee for gymkhanas and the hefty charges on ordinary citizens.

Meanwhile, Minister Mian Shuja-ur-Rehman expressed surprise and promised to probe the matter, saying that he was not aware of the fact that which department owns the land.

Opposition MPA Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan urged the department to clarify its position on state-owned land.

It is pertinent to note that earlier in 2010, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Nighat Nasir Sheikh also floated this matter on the floor of the assembly and she was snubbed by the then Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Iqbal to not take up the matter and no development was made in this regard.