Illegal housing businesses see mushroom growth

RDA fails to initiate legal action against rampant illegal housing societies

RAWALPINDI:

Owing to the non-implementation of the law, illegal housing societies and businesses have seen mushroom growth in the Rawalpindi division over the years.

Around 264 housing societies are operating illegally in the jurisdiction of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA). Though the regulator has identified the illegal housing schemes, it has failed to initiate legal action against the illegal business.

These housing societies have popped up under the very nose of the RDA, which has failed to implement the law which calls for three years’ imprisonment and a Rs0.5 million fine against unauthorised and illegal housing schemes.

Interestingly, the RDA resorts to issuing notices and registration of FIRs only after illegal housing societies start operation with full electricity and gas connections. These housing societies have got all utility facilities including gas and electricity, which they get after greasing the palms officials in these service providers.

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The sale and purchase of residential and commercial plots and easy provision of utility connections are also major reasons behind the mushroom growth of illegal housing projects in RDA-controlled areas.

Though these housing schemes do business worth millions of rupees, seldom do they share their revenue with the RDA, which has virtually surrendered to powerful owners of these schemes, who have ridiculed the law.

These illegal housing schemes are rampant in Rawalpindi, Gujjar Khan, Taxila, Murree and Kotli Sattian, where people have purchased residential and commercial plots at exorbitant prices. The continuous business has been encouraging other business persons to start more and more housing schemes with no obstruction from the regulatory body, which only informs customers that certain housing scheme was not registered.

On the other hand, RDA does not have the support to take full legal action against unauthorised housing schemes in its jurisdiction.

The RDA faces a shortage of enforcement staff and a lack of backing of the police force to take action against the powerful land mafia.

The number of illegal housing schemes in the RDA-controlled areas has outnumbered legal housing schemes which call into question the performance of the regulatory body.

A total of 264 illegal housing schemes are operating in the RDA jurisdiction. Only 62 legal housing schemes exist in the RDA jurisdiction while 60 housing schemes are under process for approval.

Of the total 136 housing schemes in Rawalpindi tehsil, 47 are legal, 19 are under process for approval while 80 are illegal. In Murree, there are four legal housing schemes, eight are under process for approval and 49 are illegal.

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In Taxila, there are four approved housing schemes, 11 are under process for approval and 18 are unauthorised. In Gujar Khan, three housing societies are under process for approval and five are illegal. In Kotli Sattian, one housing scheme is under process for approval and two are illegal.

RDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Murtaza said that a majority of illegal housing schemes in their controlled area at present were those which were established under the administrative control of district councils and tehsil councils.

He said they were trying to take strict action against illegal housing schemes.

The RDA official said that they want to establish a platform within the regulatory body to impose heavy fines and ensure imprisonment punishment.

Murtaza said that the trend of illegal housing schemes and selling and purchasing of plots will only stop when the RDA will have its own magistrate to enforce the law of three years imprisonment and imposition of heavy penalties.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2021.