Rawalpindi - Rawalpindi Development Authority under its operation against illegal housing societies sealed 9 offices, six shops and demolished two fences of illegal housing schemes. Chairman RDA Arif Abbasi said that the ‘grand’ operation against illegal housing societies was launched on Wednesday.
He said that the RDA team with the help of Rawalpindi Police conducted operation in different areas and sealed offices including that of Margalla Hills, Taxila, Faisal Town, Taxila and Wah Enclave Residencia schemes.
He said that a head office of Margalla Hills Enclave at Mouza Mohra Shah Wali at GT Road near Taxila was demolished while site offices of illegal housing schemes including Faisal Town and Iqbal Town at Anwaar Chowk, Wah Cantt and a booking office of Wah Enclave, Atomic Energy Employees Housing Society, Rawal Garden Rawat, G.T. Road, Taqwa Town and Al-Buraq Enclave on Chakbeli Road were sealed. Development work of an illegal housing scheme in Taxila was stopped, he said.
He said that the RDA’s Directorate of Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering was directed to take strict action against illegal housing schemes. Final notices were also issued to owners of 3 illegally-constructed houses in Atomic Energy Employees Society by the RDA demolition squad. The operation would continue till last week of August, he added.
He said that all out efforts would be made to make the operation successful and strict action would be taken against the rules violators without any discrimination. He said that under the operation, the gates, illegal offices and other construction would be demolished. Cases would also be registered against the owners of the illegal housing societies, he added.
To a question, he said that the illegal advertisement boards displayed by them would also be removed.
RDA Director Tahir Meo is monitoring the operation, he said, adding that RDA had adopted zero tolerance policy against illegal housing schemes.
He further said that RDA was pursuing strict policy to control illegal housing schemes in its jurisdiction and sent letters to all the departments concerned including State Bank of Pakistan, District Collector Rawalpindi, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Police, DG PEMRA and advertising companies in an effort to save the citizens from any fraud.
RDA has written letters to the departments concerned for appropriate actions against illegal housing schemes not following the set criteria, he said.
He said that status of the housing schemes was updated and all legal and illegal schemes were uploaded on RDA’s website. Now, the authority was also uploading approved layout plans of the housing schemes on the authority’s website so that the citizens even from abroad could check location of the plots, he added.
