University Town project halted

Following a letter from the Secretary of Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering, which highlighted extensive legal violations — including the unlawful approval of the University Town housing project — and contained stern observations against officials of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), the Director-General (DG) of RDA has issued four separate notifications to ensure full compliance with the directives.

Disciplinary proceedings against the responsible officers have also commenced, with the suspension and dismissal of several officials reportedly under consideration.

RDA DG Kinza Murtaza, in connection with the University Town case, has instructed the project's owners and sponsors to immediately cancel all illegal allotments and sales of plots, cease any activities that contravene the approved layout plan, and refund all amounts collected from allottees, including development and utility service charges, within sixty days.

The developers have been further directed to return outstanding government dues totalling Rs38 million, along with the accumulated surcharge to date. A daily surcharge of 5.17% will continue to apply until full payment is made.

In a letter addressed to the Metropolitan Traffic Engineering Department, the DG ordered that all development and plot sale activities in University Town remain suspended until the service design and infrastructure are duly approved by a registered engineer.

The communication also instructed that penalties be imposed on developers for delays in providing utility services to allottees and that plots reserved for public amenities — including parks, schools, mosques, and graveyards — be restored in accordance with planning regulations.

The RDA DG has further directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against the owners and sponsors of the University Town housing scheme.

In a separate letter to the Director of Land Development, the DG instructed that possession of mortgaged plots reserved for schools, parks, and graveyards be secured without delay.

Additionally, the Deputy Director (IT) has been directed to upload on the RDA website all approved layout plans, mortgaged plots, and other relevant official documents pertaining to each sanctioned housing scheme, so that citizens may verify the information directly.

DG Murtaza affirmed that the rights of allottees in University Town would be fully safeguarded, and warned that any official found culpable — in light of the Secretary Housing's observations regarding collusion and criminal negligence among RDA officers — would face strict disciplinary action. She added that the matter remains under active consideration.

The DG further disclosed that the JIT has continued its inquiry under the supervision of Deputy Director Town Planning-I, Atif Chaudhry, following the transfer of the Additional DG RDA, who previously chaired the committee. The JIT's findings are expected to be made public shortly.