KOHAT: The realtors on Friday observed a strike in front of the office of the project director of the Kohat Development Authority against the ‘unjustified’ evaluation tax.

Talking to mediapersons on the occasion, Pir Yousuf Shah, president of the property dealers association, and vice president Mamoor Ali Jan said rate of a five marla plot had been fixed at Rs1.6 million, excluding tax, which the poor could not buy.

The protesting realtors said if a poor man would buy a plot for millions of rupees then how he would be able to construct a house.

They also assailed two per cent tax on sale and purchase of plots.

They said the ever-increasing land rates had negated the prime ministers’ promise of providing cheap housing to the people.

The realtors’ body leaders claimed that the evaluation tax had only been imposed in Kohat. They said value of one marla land had been fixed at Rs320,000 which was much higher than the market price. Similarly, they said FBR had imposed two per cent tax (Rs6,400) per marla for non-filers, which had badly affected the property business.

They pointed out that price of a 10-marla plot had risen to Rs3.264 million after imposition of the two per cent tax.

They said that the relevant officials had appointed front men in every office, and if they were absent or on leave no other official could process the files.

They said KDA project director Eng Khan Azad had signed an agreement with them that if their grievances were not resolved by December 26 they reserved the right to protest.

CRACKDOWN: The police arrested 30 anti-social elements during raids at suspected hideouts of criminals in the Afghan refugee camps and rural areas, and seized weapons and drugs on Friday.

The operations were conducted under the supervision of SP operations Ikramullah Khan in Muhammadzai, Jungle Khel and Ublan and Ghamkol refugee camps.

The seizure included four Kalashnikovs, a 12-bore repeater, three pistols, hundreds of cartridges, dozens of chargers and 10 kilogrammes of hashish.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020