RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has sought help from the district council in upgrading its list of illegal housing societies.

A senior RDA official told Dawn that the authority wrote to the district council asking for details of illegal housing societies so it can upgrade its list.

“After the change in the local government system, the district council now has details of the housing schemes which spread over more than 100 kanals.

“These were under the jurisdiction of former town municipal administrations. Under the new local government system, the RDA has to compile data on the legal and illegal housing schemes in the district,” he said.

He added that private housing developers had established housing societies on land under the jurisdiction of the RDA after getting permission from the district council.

According to RDA data, legal housing societies in the district had increased from 31 to 45 in the seven tehsils of Rawalpindi including Rawalpindi, Murree, Gujar Khan, Taxila, Kahuta, Kalar Syedan and Kotli Sattian.

He said the provincial government wanted to inform people not to invest in illegal housing schemes.

Under the law, the official said, private housing societies should also allocate land for a graveyard, hospital, public park, school, mosque and roads.

“All these should be transferred to the government under the law,” he said.

The water supply network and sewerage system is to be the housing society’s responsibility, he said.

However, most developers do not take this responsibility which puts an extra burden on the government.

Under environment laws, private housing societies are to establish treatment plants in their schemes so that treated water is discharged in the main nullahs and drains.

“The RDA will only declare the housing societies which follow these laws legal.

“Otherwise, they will have to implement these laws,” he said.

RDA Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering Director Jamshaid Aftab said details were sought from the district council about housing schemes so action can be taken against illegal ones.

Before the change in the local government system, tehsils registered housing societies in its revenue departments, he said.

However, under the new law, RDA is to issue no objection certificates to housing societies.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018