Action against illegal structures ramped up

PEMRA directed to stop private TV channels from airing advertisements of illegal housing societies

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has accelerated its ongoing operation against illegal construction in the garrison city.

According to an RDA spokesperson, the RDA enforcement team in an operation sealed four illegal facilities including Beaconhouse School System, Silver Oaks School, Kamal Laboratory in Civil Line Housing Scheme, and Jinnah Foundation High School in Asghar Mall Scheme.

He also revealed that the Enforcement Squad of RDA while carrying out an operation against unauthorized residential cum commercial buildings in Civil Line Housing and Asghar Mall Schemes took action in accordance with the law against rule violators. He said that the Enforcement Squad including the assistant director of the building control wing, assistant director of land, building inspectors and others carried out the operation and sealed the five commercial buildings that were illegally constructed. The spokesperson informed that earlier notices were also issued to the owners of the properties who had violated approved building plans, maps and violated the Punjab Development of Cities Act 1976 and RDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2020.

The DG had also ordered the Building Control Wing to conduct a survey and identify illegal residential and commercial buildings and regularise them. Citizens have been advised to remove encroachments on their own to avoid any legal action. RDA spokesperson Hafiz Irfan informed that the authority was working to control illegal societies and in that regard, it had uploaded a list of “legal and illegal housing societies on its website” so that people could be saved from investing in illegal schemes.

The RDA has also requested Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to stop private TV channels from airing advertisements of illegal housing societies.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2023.