RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has launched a crackdown on water charges and property tax defaulters, snapping 221 water connections, sealing 10 properties and issuing notices to 44 property owners.

According to the RCB spokesman Qaisar Mehmood, Rs1.2 million property tax was outstanding against the defaulters. He said the properties would be unsealed only if the owners pay 25pc of the dues and promise to clear them within three months.

He said the owners of 32 properties had been summoned in the court of judicial magistrate cantonment as they failed to pay the dues worth Rs0.61 million despite receiving three notices.

He said that the water branch of the RCB disconnected 221 illegal connections in Ahmedabad, Quaid-i-Azam Colony, Naseerabad, Kamalabad, Gowalmandi, Allama iqbal Colony, People’s Colony, Saddar and Westridge.

“If the building owners wanted to restore the water connections, they should pay last three years dues,” he said and added that in this campaign, the water branch had to recover Rs0.40 million.

The spokesman said the engineering branch had issued notices to 30 building owners at Marble Factory area, Usmania Colony, Farooqabad, Misrial Road, Quaid-i-Azam Colony, Peshawar Road and Ahmedabad to submit their building plans within 15 days otherwise the civic body will demolish the buildings.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2016