RAWALPINDI: There are several problems which plague civilian residents of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB). The senior executive officers are usually inaccessible and the people are at the mercy of low-level staff. Two primary problems are faced by residents.
The RCB has sent owners or homes with land of under five marlas notices to pay property tax for the post- 2007 tax-exempt period. The notice says that unless the dues are paid, the said property will be confiscated. This will provide the local staff just another opportunity to make some money on the side. For instance, according to their own land records, there are hardly any five-marla houses in Babu Mohallah, the area where I live. The RCB has also abolished the British Queen’s Old Grant. The grant-holders were warned not to sell, buy or rebuild their properties without getting the Grant replaced with a lease. Yet, without even doing this, commercial and residential properties are being sold, bought and rebuilt, without the RCB doing anything about it.
The solution to the problem lies in the Board computerising all tax records and correlating/verifying them with land records. The RCB should also not issue a notice without first undertaking a pre-tax survey of the said property. Till elections are held in the Board, a broad-based body should be appointed with representation from civilians so that it can address residents’ complaints. And finally, disciplinary action should be taken against officials for harassing property owners.
Arshad Javed
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.
