The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has initiated a crackdown on the unauthorised commercial use of old grant residential properties and the improper utilisation of residential properties on private land designated as a Cantonment Non-Commercial Area.
To facilitate this crackdown, 500 locks have been bought. Following a fortnight’s notice, the sealing of properties has started.
As the current five-year lease policy (January 2022 to December 2026) for Cantonment Boards nationwide approaches its conclusion, directives have been issued by the Military Land and Cantonments Pakistan’s director general to ensure the conversion of old grant properties into regular leases.
Following these directives, a 15-day notice is required for old grant residential properties being illegally utilised for commercial purposes and residential properties on private land designated as non-commercial areas. Owners are required to convert their leases to regular commercial leases within this timeframe otherwise their properties will be sealed.
According to Assistant Secretary of the Cantonment Board, Rashid Saqib, Cantonment Executive Officer Ali Irfan Rizvi instructed proactive measures to curb non-conforming commercial usage of old grant residential properties and to enforce non-commercial zoning on 14 roads to prevent further commercial encroachment.
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has acquired 500 locks for sealing properties following the expiry of the 15-day notice period.
In a recent incident, shopkeepers in the Gwalmandi area of Rawalpindi meddled with seals placed by Cantonment officers after the completion of the fortnightly warning notice regarding the illegal commercial usage of old grant residential properties. An FIR has been lodged against those responsible persons.
Cantonment Board spokesperson said that the Old Grant Lease Policy has been ongoing since 1996 in five-year cycles. The implementation rate of this policy has been notably low, with property owners often awaiting the expiration of each five years before renewing old grant leases, either for residential or commercial purposes.
The non-implementation of the Old Grant Lease Policy has resulted in significant revenue losses for the government, amounting to billions of rupees across Cantonment Boards nationwide.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2024.
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