State land: Permission sought to raise rents for 945 shops

Rents charged are far below those charged for land leased for commercial purposes.

BAHAWALPUR:

Cholistan Development Authority has sought permission from the Revenue Department to charge a higher rent to 945 buildings built on land leased from the government for agricultural use.

The Cholistan Development Authority report, based on the findings of a survey carried out by a team headed by Managing Director Javed Akhtar Mehmood, stated that currently the occupants of these plots were paying rents for agricultural plots. The report said these rents were far below those charged for land leased for commercial purposes.

The report said the government was losing millions of rupees in revenue by continually charging rent to these tenants for agriculture use. It sought permission for increasing the rate of rents for the 945 buildings on state land leased in Cholistan.

The report was forwarded to the Revenue Department by the Bahawalpur Divisional Commissioner.

A CDA spokesman told The Express Tribune that the tenants would be notified to pay an increased rent as soon as the Revenue Department’s permission was available.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2012.