RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) have issued notices to owners of over 200 unauthorised buildings and sent four cases to the authorities concerned for initiating legal action.

RCB spokesman Qaiser Mahmood told this news agency that during the last three months 201 notices had been issued to those who violated the building rules. The land branch also demolished 13 buildings which had been erected by the owners without getting approval of their building plans.

He said the RCB board had approved 161 residential and 18 commercial building plans during the period. Raids were conducted by the building control department on the directives of the cantonment executive officer.

Owners of over 200 structures issued notices while four cases sent for initiation of legal action

The owners of the illegal buildings and structures were issued notices. In reply to a question, he said 911 notices had been issued and 68 structures demolished last year. Construction material was lifted from 72 illegal construction sites.

The ongoing operation against illegal constructions would continue. He warned the citizens not to violate the rules otherwise action would be taken against them.

Meanwhile, the RDA has also launched an operation against illegal housing schemes and sent four cases to the sub-registrar and the assistant commissioner for legal action.

RDA Director Jamshaid Aftab said the cases had been sent to the authorities concerned to initiate legal action against illegal housing schemes.

“RDA has adopted a zero tolerance policy against illegal housing schemes. Four cases have been sent to Sub-Registrar Urban Mehr Ghulam Abbas and Assistant Commissioner City Liaquat Ali.”

He said earlier the RDA had also sent letters to all the departments concerned, including the State Bank of Pakistan, the district collector, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, police, utility service departments and advertising companies to save the citizens from any fraud.

Letters were also sent to the departments concerned for appropriate actions against illegal housing schemes.

He said the governor State Bank of Pakistan was requested to direct all banks not to open accounts of owners/operators of illegal housing schemes. Advertising agencies had also been asked not to advertise the illegal housing schemes/projects.

The owners of housing schemes should first get no-objection certificates from RDA and fulfil the other criteria, he added.

He said the status of the housing schemes was updated and all legal and illegal schemes were uploaded on RDA website. Now the authority is considering uploading the approved layout plans of housing schemes on the website so that the citizens even from abroad could check the location of the plots.

The utility services departments were requested not to provide services to illegal and unapproved housing schemes.

He advised the citizens not to invest in illegal house schemes and select commercial or residential plots only in legal ones which have proper approval of layout plans and NOC from the authority.

He said 43 housing schemes in the RDA jurisdiction had obtained NOCs whereas 31 housing schemes were operating illegally.

Drive against encroachment

The RCB confiscated goods from different markets during an operation last week.

According to the RCB spokesman, a number of shopkeepers in different areas were also imposed fines. The anti-encroachment operation has been intensified, he added.

He said RCB enforcement teams confiscated handcarts, tables, counters and other goods from Bakra Mandi, Dhoke Syedan, Tench Bhatta, People’s Colony and Saddar Bazaar. The team also removed illegal banners and posters from different areas.

The operation is being conducted on a daily basis. The shopkeepers have been warned not to encroach on space on roadsides otherwise action would be taken against the violators, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2018