Residents of disputed flats to finally get ownership

Two years ago, the govt declared Kohinoor Flats vulnerable and directed to have them vacated

FAISALABAD: The government of Punjab has decided to hand over the possession of Kohinoor Flats to the people residing within them. The decision has been made on the proposal put forth by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) MNA Faizullah Kamoka.

Reportedly, Kohinoor Flats was constructed during the 1980s to accommodate the people working at nearby factories. However, after some time, the workers sold off the apartments and shifted to other areas.

The process of buying and selling continued for many years. As a result, the people residing within the apartments do not possess any proof of ownership. Therefore, two years ago, the government of Punjab declared the apartments vulnerable and issued directives to have them vacated forcibly.

This snowballed into a protest against the government’s decision. Several citizens, including women, took to the streets of Faisalabad to protest against being forcibly vacated. Eventually, local parliamentarians intervened and, after talks with the district administration, the decision was withdrawn.

However, this was not the last of the residents’ worries as they still did not possess ownership of their homes. Consequently, they appealed to PTI MNA Faizullah Kamoka who met with the Punjab chief minister and urged him to issue orders for allotting the apartments to the residents.

Sources claimed that the Punjab chief minister constituted a committee, including the Faisalabad commissioner, the deputy commissioner and district labour officer, to resolve the issue. Reportedly, the committee has started working to asses who exactly owns the apartments by scrutinising existing documents.

Sources added that the committee may also put forth amendments to existing laws to make the process of relinquishing ownership of property easier.

Rana Azhar, a tenant living in the locality, stated that residents have used their life savings and sold gold, jewellery and other valuables to carry out necessary repair work.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, PTI MNA Faizullah Kamoka stated that the government was initially planning to offer residents financial compensation after vacating them.

However, after meeting with the chief minister, a committee was constituted for the purpose of allotting the flats to the residents. The possession of the flats will be handed over to residents soon, he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2019.