RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has asked all housing societies, including Bahria Town, to explain why they implement their own building by-laws and other rules which do not match with that of the Punjab government.

A senior official told Dawn that RDA Chairman Arif Abbasi had received a number of complaints about the rules and regulations of the housing societies which did not match with that of the government for the ownership of properties.

Taking notice of the written complaints, the RDA sent letters to all the housing societies to explain their position as soon as possible otherwise action would be taken against them, he added.

The complainants pointed out hefty transfer fee, security deposit, taxes and other extra charges being collected by the housing societies. They said some housing societies issued transfer letters even though they had no authority to do so.

They also said despite collecting fee for water supply, security and maintenance charges, the societies failed to provide water and other services to the residents.

“The housing societies in general have also reduced the space allocated for parks, schools, mosques, graveyards, community centres and playgrounds and utilising them for commercial purposes,” he said.

When contacted, the RDA chairman confirmed that he had received complaints from the residents of the housing societies, including Bahria Town, about the violation of RDA’s rules and regulations.

He said it was a serious issue and the government would not allow any private housing scheme to make its own rules and regulations which did not match with that of the government.

He said all approved housing societies had been asked to submit the details of their rules and regulations and the fee structures as soon as possible and the authority would check whether these were legal or not.

He said the RDA enforcement cell had been asked to verify the fee structures after the owners of the private housing schemes submitted it with the authority. He said action would be taken against violators of the government’s rules and regulations.

He said the master plan of all housing societies would be checked to ascertain if the owners had made any alternation after getting the no-objection certificates from the RDA.

“The PTI government will establish the writ of the government in all parts of the country, especially in Punjab, and nobody will be allowed to make a state within the state,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2018