KASUR: The real estate ‘mafia’ is allegedly cashing in on the lack of coordination between the Lahore Development Authority and municipal committees, depriving people of their lifetime savings.

Illegal housing schemes in Kasur are doing a roaring business, luring people into various development projects.

LDA and the district administration swang into [delayed] action when people have [already] invested in these schemes.

The district administration has recently declared sale deeds and mutations in 75 housing schemes illegal. Of them, two dozen schemes have already been declared illegal but despite clear-cut official instructions, patwaris of relevant halqas were allegedly issuing fards and sale deeds were being registered with the connivance of revenue officials.

Developers cash in on lack of coordination between regulators

A few days back, the Federal Investigation Agency booked eight suspects, including owners of housing schemes and Lahore Electric Supply Company officials, for getting electricity connections in illegal colonies in Phoolnagar. The housing schemes include Dubai Town, Sharja Town, Aljannat Town, Canal View, Makkah Colony, Faisal Town, and Asghar Town.

It is interesting to note that the district administration had added only one of these schemes in the list of 75 colonies which were declared illegal.

A notification issued by the additional district collector says the sale deed and mutation of any of the property in the illegal housing schemes will not be approved until the owners do not get approval from the competent authority, including LDA or [now defunct] TMAs in Kasur district.

On the night between Friday and Saturday, an LDA team and the Kasur assistant commissioner launched a crackdown on the illegal colonies on Ferozpur Road bypass near Qadirabad, demolished boundary offices of the societies, walls of plots and some houses in the name of illegal construction. The team also demolished the paths of the illegal colonies leading to the main road.

A resident, Muhammad Mushtaq, says the team also demolished houses having stay orders.

A resident requesting anonymity says owing to the alleged corruption on the part of patwaris, ‘fraudsters’ get fard of the land while the exact name of colony is not mentioned. He says the location in the fard is mentioned as near this and that colony. He says the entire revenue staff is involved and one can get the sale deed and mutation registered if one greases the palm of the respective official(s). Owner of a housing society, who wished not to be named, says fulfilling the requirement of LDA to get a scheme approved is a hard nut to crack. One has to get no objection certificate from GHQ, Rawalpindi, environment department and soil testing department which is an uphill task. He says a municipal committee official approves map of a colony avoiding all parameters. He, however, admits that LDA and other departments take action when half of the colony is already sold.

He says had the owners fulfilled the criteria set by the LDA, the price of a plot would have gone out of the range of middle class.

An LDA official says the authority through newspapers alerts the [prospective] buyers not to purchase plots in illegal schemes. He says action is taken whenever a new scheme is launched.

He says LDA has no coordination with any municipal committee in the districts of Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib. However, he says coordination is necessary for the benefit of the people. He says LDA has introduced one-window operation to avoid middleman and to eliminate corruption.

District Collector Saira Omar says the district administration is not empowered to declare any scheme illegal. She says on the request of LDA, additional district collector (revenue) issues a notification to stop the sale deed and mutation of the land in the illegally declared housing schemes.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017