LAHORE Cash-strapped Lahore Bar Association (LBA) miserably failed in providing facilities to the lawyers and litigants, and carrying out the task of bringing scattered courts in the close vicinity of the sessions court and the Lahore High Court, TheNation has learnt. The Punjab government had promised with the incumbent LBA body of almost Rs 12 million for executing different development projects including new emergency and trauma centers, pooling of scattered courts including consumer courts, anti-terrorism courts, accountability courts and labour courts and the construction of new parking plaza near Aiwan-e-Adl. LBA Secretary Qasim Hassan Buttar said the current body of the Bar performed well in its limited self-generated revenue by increasing monthly contract money of canteens and parking stands. He said the government had promised in a meeting to provide more than Rs 10 million to the Bar for the completion of different projects but so far it had not provided the money as period of the current body would end on January, 15, 2011. He said the current body had asked the government to pool scattered courts for minimising the difficulties of litigants, lawyers and judges but so far no response was received. The secretary further added the government had asked the body to give its proposals and the body also wrote about a residential colony in its dispatched proposals for the lawyers at a suitable place but all that stood unfulfilled. He said almost 150 Air-conditioners were installed in different courts for providing relief to lawyers and litigants from the scorching heat and suffocation as per lawyers demands. Qasim said the project of elevators in courts would also be completed for the facility of lawyers and litigants, saying the government fulfilled its promise of constructing only 500 lawyers chambers on the old premises of the sessions court. Expatiating on the dearth of judges, he said as per the demand of LBA body, about 55 judges were recruited. He said after judges recruitment there was problem of courtrooms and some place was acquired on lease at LDA Complex and judges were working there. He admitted the Bar could not provide more books at the library and other necessary things owing to lack of funds. He said about Rs 25 million were sought by the previous LBA body and the money was being used as benevolent fund. So far only two families of deceaseds namely Akram Hanjra and Mian Shaukat were issued total Rs 0.6 million from the benevolent fund. He said the current bank account of LBA had Rs 3.7 million including Rs 2 million which had been issued by the LHC for the renovation of the fixtures which were destroyed during the attack of police on lawyers at Aiwan-e-Adl. He said Rs 5 million were issued to the Bar out of which Rs 3 million were to be distributed amongst the lawyers who received injuries during protests launched for the transfer of ex-district and sessions judge Sheikh Zawar Ahmad.