RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Auqaf Department has increased the rent of its commercial and domestic property. But tenants termed the move unjustified.

A senior official of the department told Dawn that tenants had requested the department to withdraw the decision but their request was rejected.

More than 10 tenants of an Auqaf Department complex on Jamia Masjid Road submitted an application to the zonal administrator of the department after the monthly rent of shops was increased from Rs1,022 to Rs10,000 and maximum of Rs3,650 to Rs15,000.

The official said the department increased the rent as per market value of the property. Earlier, the department was getting unrealistic rents from the tenants as some people were paying just Rs595 per month for a shop.

He said the increased amount would be collected from the tenants and spent on the improvement of facilities being provided to people in shrines and other religious places.

However, the tenants termed the increase unjustified and illegal. “Under the Auqaf Department rules, the department can raise 25pc increase in the rent after three years but the recent increased is more than that,” said Mohammad Akram, a tenant.

He said notices were issued to the tenants asking them to pay the new rents from February 17 onward. However, he said all shopkeepers and domestic tenants joined hands and contacted the zonal administrator.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2020