RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has decided to measure all the plots in the Asghar Mall and Saidpur Road schemes to check whether buildings have been constructed on additional land.

RDA Chairman Arif Abbasi told Dawn that the drive has been launched to retrieve state land from residential and commercial units in the city’s 13 housing schemes under the authority’s control.

He said there were confirmed reports that many building owners who documented less land than their homes or commercial structures were built on, which is a violation of the law.

Mr Abbasi said he would visit the area with the team to launch the drive.

Drive launched to retrieve state land from housing schemes, RDA chairman says

“We will check the records of the owners with the RDA land records and also verify with the district land record, and if any negligence is found the owner of the building will be fined,” he said.

However, he said, corruption in the land department will not be ignored and action will be taken against officials who have supervised these areas for the last 30 years.

“I transferred many building inspectors, but a no tolerance policy will be adopted for corruption within the civic body,” he said.

The RDA’s land branch has already checked the records of 50 plots in Sherpao Colony, adjacent to Committee Chowk, and has so far cleared 10 plots while the documents have been sent to the District Land Records for verification, he said.

The RDA as been directed by the Punjab government to implement building by-laws immediately and strict action will be taken against those found to be negligent, he said.

“We will check the lands of public parks in the Asghar Mall and Saidpur Road schemes to ensure there is no encroachment in and around the parks. There are some parks in Asghar Mall and Saidpur that are in the possession of the RDA and they will be protected from the land mafia,” he said.

Mr Abbasi said the Parks and Horticulture Authority has also been asked to help the RDA maintain greenbelts in areas where state land is retrieved from encroachers. He said a beautification drive would be launched in these schemes soon.

The RDA will also launch a drive to remove workshops and commercial outlets from residential areas.

“In the past, car mechanics and furniture workshops were allowed in and around Milat Colony’s main public but we will remove these shops from Wednesday and the drive will be extended to other areas as well,” he said.

Satellite Town and other areas will also be cleared of commercial activities.

“Under the law, residential and commercial areas have been clearly defined in Satellite Town, Asghar Mall and Saidpur Road and this will be implemented,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2019