FAISALABAD: Several ‘dubious’ private housing colonies have collected millions of rupees from people allegedly under the nose of the Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) in the last few months.

The FDA, buyers allege, first allows these schemes to thrive and then all of a sudden declare them illegal which means trouble for the investors. The authority has now asked people to avoid purchasing plots in such colonies as these are not approved by it.

It has advertised a notice in newspapers declaring 41 colonies illegal and 48 ‘yet to be approved’. The owners of unapproved schemes are advertising the plots and have collected millions by selling forms and land.

Sources said the FDA officials had turned a blind eye to the mushroom growth of the private housing colonies which had collected millions of rupees from prospective buyers and now they had informed people about their status.

Ahtashamul Haq of Ramdiwali Chak said construction work of a private housing colony (which claims itself to be Faisalabad’s biggest) was under way on Sargodha Road. He said a number of times officials of the district government and the FDA had been informed about this illegal construction but in vain.

He said the housing scheme owner had even organised a big show for the inaugural ceremony and government officials were well aware of the event, however, nobody bothered to stop the gathering.

Mushtaq Ahmed said owing to attractive advertisements by the colonies, a number of investors of the yarn market had shifted their investment from the market to the real estate business.

He said millions of rupees funds were pending with the government as a result of which the millers had been facing problems. He demanded that the government take stock of the situation and help the investors.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

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