Plot twist: RDA uses QR codes to stop land fraud

By scanning QR printed on allotment letter, citizens will be able to instantly access details about housing project

The Rawalpindi Development Authority has introduced a new system to curb fraudulent practices related to the sale of plots through files exceeding the approved capacity within housing schemes.

Under this system, housing schemes will only be allowed to sell the number of plots specified in their RDA-approved layout plans, using QR code–based allotment letters.

Each approved housing scheme will receive a set number of QR codes from the RDA, corresponding to the number of plots in its sanctioned layout.

By scanning the QR code printed on an allotment letter, citizens will instantly access detailed information about the housing project, including its approval status with the RDA, the total number of residential and commercial plots, individual plot numbers, and other relevant details.

The authority also plans to launch a public awareness campaign soon to familiarise citizens with the new QR code system.

For many years, even RDA-approved housing schemes have been involved in selling plots far beyond the actual land capacity—often through files alone. Prospective buyers were misled with false assurances of future project extensions and persuaded to purchase such files.

In some cases, developers obtained initial approvals without surrendering land reserved for essential public amenities, such as roads, parks, mosques, commercial areas, playgrounds, graveyards, dispensaries, and other community facilities.

In other cases, even after the required land had been surrendered to the RDA, these facilities were not provided to buyers who built homes within the schemes.

This initiative aims to bring an end to the fraudulent practice of selling fictitious plots through files within approved housing schemes.