PESHAWAR: Expressing anguish over illegal housing societies in Mardan district, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mardan, Captain (Retd) Abdul Rehman on Wednesday vowed stern action against them.
He was presiding over a meeting regarding illegal housing societies across the district. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Engineer Syed Shahzeb, Assistant Commissioner (AC) Mardan, Ayesha Tahir and AC Takhtbai, ACs Katlang, Rustam and Ghari Kapura were also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, the newly-posted deputy commissioner was briefed in detail regarding illegal/unregistered housing societies operating across the district without obtaining permission/no objection certificate from the departments concerned.
He was further informed that the illegal housing societies were sealed several times in the past and complete bans had been imposed on the sale and purchase of plots in them.
The DC clarified in unequivocal terms that no one was allowed to establish housing societies on agricultural land and added that the government was very much clear that such activities should be carried out only on barren land.
He said that besides owners, builders of such societies would also face stern action and the transfer of land would also be banned. “Illegal housing societies are eating agricultural land in the district and food shortage is looming large,” he added.