Commercial status of 50 plots hang in the balance

Delay in commercialisation of land costs RMC millions of rupees in revenue

RAWALPINDI:

A perpetual delay in convening a meeting of the District Planning and Design Committee (DPDC) to finalise the status of around 50 commercial plots has cost the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) millions of rupees in revenue.

Owning to other engagements of the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner, who is the defacto administrator of the RMC, the DPDC meeting could not be held for three months, and as a result, not only the status of these plots has been hanging in the balance but it has also deprived the RMC of millions of rupees in revenue under the head of commercial fee and other charges.

Once the commercialisation of these 50 plots is complete, the RMC will earn revenue of millions of rupees in respect of approval of building plans and other development charges.

Not only the RMC has to earn millions of rupees in revenue from the commercialisation of these plots, but also the construction on these 50 plots will also accelerate commercial activities in terms of the sale of construction material. It will also provide employment opportunities.

According to RMC sources, 35 commercialisation cases had been approved by the DPDC in early July, however, letters could not be issued to the owners.

The sources said that the commercialisation fee of millions of rupees could not be collected in these cases either. According to the sources, owners of these commercial plots continue to visit the RMC office to get letters but return empty-handed.

It should be noted that due to the premature dissolution of local government bodies in Punjab including in the Rawalpindi district, not only several vital development projects have been facing delays but also citizens have been having problems in resolving civic issues. The working of the RMC has virtually come to a standstill for the last one year or so in terms of development work as administrative officers show the least interest in resolving public issues.

Most of the time, senior officers remain in the field and the subordinate officers exhibit the least interest in tending to public complaints. The most important post of the planning officer in the RMC has also been lying vacant for the last several months.

RMC Acting Planning Officer Mumtaz Tabasim said that commercialisation cases are approved phase-wise. He said that the pending commercialisation cases will be presented in the next DPDC meeting for approval. He also said that letters will also be issued to owners of the already approved commercial plots.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2022.