The Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Lahore yesterday agreed to provide access to the cellular operators to the cell sites installed in its limits and submitted unconditional apology to the LHC in a contempt of court petition hearing.
Earlier, DHA had restricted access to BTS towers for cellular companies due to DHA’s attempt for revising BTS land acquisition contracts before time.
According to sources in cellular companies, DHA was demanding Rs. 1 million against each tower as security, in addition to security money that has already been paid at the time of installation.
After the situation, Cellular operators approached the Lahore High Court to intervene to ensure that not only the Authority bring down the rentals but also facilitate these companies in renewal of the contracts.
Cellular companies had further requested High Court to ask DHA for free access to cell towers to conduct maintenance and other routine procedures in order to keep the service running.
Lahore High Court while issuing notices had ordered that wherever petitioner had valid contracts for sites, those shall not be removed and access shall be granted until next hearing.
But this week, DHA officials kept Zong’s one senior technical officer, Adrees Mahmood, detained for over four hours over and was released only after the matter was brought to the knowledge of Police. Moreover, authority again restricted the access to cell sites and qualified for a direct contempt of court.
DHA actually disconnected electricity for many sites resulting into outages of service which in a way was creating problems for their residents.
DHA denied these allegations, however, latter apologized in the court for the same. In yesterday contempt of court hearing, DHA agreed to provide access to the cellular operators to the cell sites installed in its limits and submitted unconditional apology to the LHC in a contempt of court petition hearing.
The court accepted the apology and passed orders accordingly. The court shall hear the arguments from all the parties on June 17.
All cellular companies, except one, are on-board for these proceedings against DHA.
Cellular mobile operators are licensed to install towers all over Pakistan as per the Telecom Act. Sites have also been installed in DHA Lahore under the provisions of the PTA (Re-organization) Act 1996.
DHA management has gone mad.. i hate their way of making rules.. How can they stop telecom companies from doing this…
few months back dha police stopped me and told i am violating speed limit so u will be fined next time by us.. how the hell they can fine me… they are not traffic wardens….
There are also many other pathetic rules by them
DHA Lahore has done an exclusive deal with Wateen Telecom for HFC and FTTH which has been a major flop. Wateen promised DHA the moon (the DHA bought it) and then Wateen failed to deliver. DHA does not realize that the expectations unreasonable and inflated and there was no way Wateen could delivery.
They need to come down to Earth and stop trying to extract extra profits from other telecom companies. Otherwise there is no solution to the DHA problem except to dissolve it and move it back into the hands of the Lahore City government / LDA.
a huge budget for our respected army, and then high priced lands which have been offered to army officers as a result of their services to country, and then selling of those lands at high price to civilians, and then DH Authority disgustingly using the rules n regulations which are supposed to be applied to only army officers residence, upon civilians who buy and live in Defence, and then creating problems for civilians- WTF!!!
Army must pass a RULE, that the land which has been offered to army officers as a reward for their services to this country MUST NOT BE SOLD TO ANY CIVILIAN, else the decorum of army will be ruined and army may have to face court of law in many of the situations as one mentioned above- which will further damage the reputation and decorum of Pakistan Army! BUT “Money Makes The Mayor Go Crazy”