FAISALABAD: More than six dozen private housing schemes have amassed billion of rupees from the masses by selling plots of land without getting approval of the Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) for their housing plans.

The shady business of sale of property in the areas developed without official nod has been on the rise for a couple of years and the FDA has now directed the estate developers to get the no objection certificates (NOC) from it and also warned the people to refrain from purchasing plots in these 73 illegal colonies.

The FDA on Tuesday published a public notice, a copy available with Dawn, in local newspapers, mentioning the names of the unapproved schemes. The notice mentions the following housing schemes which have no permission from the FDA but still selling plots. They are: Ismail City, Nawab Style City and Gulshan Fareed, Daewoo Road, New Gulshan-e-Madina, Chak 59-JB, Ideal Garden, Narwala Road, Sidhar City, Jhang Road, Gareen City, Ismail Green, Millat Road, Gulshan-e-Madina, Ameer Hamza Block, Sargodha Road, Motorway City and Ghazi Ilam Din Shaheed Block, Meezab City, Sargodha Road, Abdullah Garden, Abdullah City, New Canal Garden, Vilentia Garden, Gulshan-e-Haram, Allied Housing and Raheem Villas, Samundri Road, Raheem Garden, Nisar Colony, Ahmed Valley, Jhang Road, Canal Park VIP block, Canal Road, Kareem Garden, Khayaban Green and Kareem Villas, Jaranwala Road, Faisalabad Lawyers Cooperative Housing Society (FLCHS), Abdullah Garden phase-II, Model City extension, Ghalab City, Hassan Villas, and Eden Valley on 8-Chak Road, Jahan-e-Undlas Chak 204-RB, Khayaban-e-Manzoor, Jaranwala Road, Khayaban Valley, Susan Road, Paradise Valley phase-II, Ibrahim Villas and Shadab Cooperative Society, Sheikhupura Road, Al Rehmat Villas, Dhudiwala, Defence View, Jaranwala Road, Tech Town Canal Road, Al Noor Garden, Chak 208-RB, Prime City and Abdullah Villas, Sattiana Road, Paradise Valley phase II and III, Rehman Villas Jaranwala Road, Model Town, Elite Block, Luxury Enclave and Sehgal City on Samundri Road, Park View Homes, Chak 5-JB, Sitara Diamond, Tech Town phase-IV and V, Jawad Town, Chak 223-RB, Rehman Park/Qamar Executive, Chak 197-RB, Sitara Qamar Villas and FLCHS Sheikhupura Road, Latif Garden extension and Umer Valley, Chak 197-RB, Zee Garden, Chak 198-RB, Heaven Villas, Chak 217-RB, Sitara Gulshan Aziz, Daewoo Road, Madina Green Valley, Chak 214-RB, and Zameer Villas Chak 234-RB.

The developers have been asked by the FDA to get their housing schemes cases pending with the authority approved within 15 days; otherwise, legal action would be taken against them. They have been further asked through the notice to ensure development work according to the layout plan, saying the change in places of public interest like graveyard, school, roads, dispensary etc were illegal.

Aslam Ali, a real estate dealer, said the FDA should play an active role to ensure implementation of the government laws to control the mushroom growth of the illegal housing schemes. He said the FDA had alerted the public that about 73 such schemes had yet to get the NOC which had raised concerns among the investors who had spent millions of rupees to buy plots in such housing societies

“A strict action must be taken against the negligent FDA officials who remained tight-lipped when the colonies were being developed illegally across the city areas with impunity. What will the FDA officials do for the people in form of compensation if the illegal colonies fail to fulfill the criteria of the government?” said Mr Ali.

He suggested the government must stop the practice of hitting the interest of the people by issuing public notices when a delay.

Khurram Shehzad, who has purchased a plot in a colony now declared illegal by the FDA, said he had constructed a luxury house in the colony about two years ago. He said the FDA officials were aware of the schemes selling plots of land without approval and no practical measure was taken to stop the illegal conduct which would have saved billions of rupees of the masses.

This correspondent contacted FDA governing body chairman Dr Asad Moazzam and acting director general of the authority, Aamir Aziz, for their comments but they did not bother to reply.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2018