SAHIWAL: On the request of local parliamentarians and the business community, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan on Monday managed to get the Nov 26 auction of 1,212 shops owned by the Arifwala Municipal Committee and the Punjab Board of Revenue postponed by two weeks.

The speaker requested the senior member of the Board of Revenue to reassess the new rents announced by the district revenue department. According to reports, the auction has been delayed to allow for a “reassessment of shop rents,” expected to be completed within the next two weeks.

Local traders alleged that the newly-proposed rents by the Punjab BoR were excessively high and unaffordable for shopkeepers who had occupied the shops for decades.

The delegation which met with the speaker included MPA Chaudhry Imran Akram, former tehsil nazim Amir Hamza, MNA Rana Iradat Sharif, MPA Dr. Farukkh Javed, Tahir Iqbal Jutt along with office-bearers of the Markazi Anjuman Tajiran, Arifwala.

Sources revealed that, under the Provincial Revenue Board Rules 2019-2021, all shops on state land under the jurisdiction of Punjab Municipal Committees must now be auctioned in collaboration with the BoR.

Fifty per cent of the auction rent will go to the concerned municipal committee, and the remaining 50pc to the account of BoR. The auction, originally scheduled for Nov 26, included 1,212 shops.

Tahir Iqbal told Dawn that rents, previously ranging from Rs2,000 to Rs5,000 per month, were increased drastically to Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 per month. Despite their appeals, the local district and tehsil administration refused to address these concerns.

The speaker assured the delegation that rents would be reassessed, and the auction would take place after a fair reassessment.

Arifwala Assistant Commissioner (AC) Mir Ruman Khalil confirmed reports circulating on social media about the auction’s postponement but stated that no formal written orders had been received by the municipal committee or local officials.

Tahir Iqbal said Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Sadia Maher is likely to receive the official orders by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2024