FAISALABAD, Dec 12: The House Building Finance Corporation has filed 31 cases before the local banking court for the recovery of disputed dues pending for the last couple of decades against the dwellers of Allama Iqbal Colony.

The HBFC filed cases against 31 residents, including some widows of original allottees, claiming they failed to deposit their dues for the last two decades despite repeated notices. They are the defaulters of Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 each.

The Faisalabad Development Authority had raised Allama Iqbal Colony some 20 years ago and allotted one-room houses to kutcha abadi dwellers of the Factory Area. The FDA had obtained a huge loan from the HBFC for the construction of these quarters and pledged the files to HBFC by violating all set rules.

Over 5,000 residents say they had not obtained any loan from the HBFC but the FDA had their houses pledged to HBFC just to cover its own negligence.

When contacted, an HBFC official told Dawn that cases against defaulters were filed on the instructions of highups, adding that more cases would be filed within next couple of weeks.

DIES: A defaulter of Rs1 million of the Citi Bank died on Thursday in the local hospital due to brain haemorrhage.

Asif Mehmood was rounded up by the bailiff of the banking court for not repaying his loan. He was sent to jail where he died.