RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) on Thursday carried out an operation against three illegal housing schemes and demolished site offices, main gates and road infrastructure.
The schemes, namely Islamabad Marina City Mouza Garbal, Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society Mouza Mohri Khatran and Garbal and Seven Enclave Housing Society at Mauza Garbal Fateh Jang Road Rawalpindi have been declared illegal, an RDA spokesman said.
He said that the Enforcement Squad of RDA is taking strict action against illegal housing schemes. He notices were also issued to the owners of the above-mentioned illegal housing schemes.
The owners of these properties were running illegal housing schemes’ booking offices in violation of rules. He said that the RDA director general appealed to the people that in their own interest, they should not make any investment in any illegal / unauthorised housing scheme whose status was declared illegal by RDA.
He said that this could be checked on the RDA website www.rda.gop.pk, adding the DG has directed the Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering Directorate to take strict action against illegal / unauthorised housing schemes, their development, construction of booking and site offices and encroachments without any fear or favour.
He said that RDA has also requested Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) and PTCL not to extend services to illegal housing schemes as their status is unapproved.
Furthermore, the first meeting of the Consultant Selection Committee (CSC) for the project of ‘Outsourcing of Field Inspections of Construction Activities in the Jurisdiction of RDA’ was held. The meeting was attended by members of the committee including Director Land Use & Building Control Jamshaid Aftab, representative from Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department, Mohammad Saleem Ashraf, representative from Finance Department, Mohammad Javed and a representative from P&D.
The RDA official said that pre-qualification documents such as expression of interest (EOI) were opened by the committee.
As many as four firms have participated in the project.
Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2023
