LAHORE, Sept 27: Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Syed Raza Ali Gilani has said that the government will take stern action against private developers and housing societies demanding heavy development charges after selling plots at low prices.

Presiding over a meeting of the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency here on Tuesday for discussion on matters relating to new colonies, the minister said the government would soon issue a circular to all private developers directing them to furnish details of the prices of plots and development charges to the agency so that they could not fleece the people after selling the plots.

He said the government was seriously considering development of maximum number of low-cost housing schemes in small cities and towns for solving residential problems of the people on the one hand and creating new job opportunities on the other. Development of such schemes was also necessary for controlling large-scale migration to big cities.