RAWALPINDI:Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) on the directives of the Director General (DG) Muhammad Saif Anwar Jappa has accelerated its ongoing operation against illegal construction.
According to an RDA spokesman, the RDA enforcement team in an operation had sealed four schools namely Beaconhouse, Two Silver Oaks School Buildings, Kamal Laboratory in Civil Line Housing Scheme and Jinnah Foundation High School in Asghar Mall Scheme.
The spokesman informed that the Enforcement Squad of RDA while carrying out an operation against unauthorized and illegal residential cum commercial buildings in Civil Line Housing and Asghar Mall Schemes took action in accordance with the law against the violators.
He said that the Enforcement Squad including the Assistant Director of Building Control, Assistant Director of Land, Building Inspectors and others carried out the operation and sealed the five commercial buildings which were illegally constructed.
The spokesman informed that earlier notices were also issued to the owners of the properties namely Dr Mansoor Jan, Muhammad Yousaf, Salman Yousaf, Sadat Rashid, Asad Pervaiz Qureshi, Amir and Amer Malik who had violated approved building plans, maps and violated the Punjab Development of Cities Act 1976 and RDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2020.
They constructed illegal commercial buildings without approval and No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
He said that the DG had directed the LU&BC Wing to take strict action against encroachments, illegal and unauthorized constructions and commercial activities without any discrimination.
The DG had also ordered the Building Control Wing to conduct a survey to identify illegal residential and commercial buildings and regularize all illegal residential cum commercial buildings in RDA-controlled areas, he said adding, the citizens had also been advised to remove encroachments on their own to avoid any legal action.
RDA spokesperson Hafiz Irfan informed that the authority was working to control illegal societies and in that regard, it had uploaded a list of “legal and illegal housing societies on its website” so that people could be saved from investing in illegal schemes.
“Stern action under the law is being taken against such societies including demolishing of illegal buildings and issuing of notices to their administrations.”
As many as 42 legal notices were issued besides lodging nine FIRs against the rules’ violators during the last five months.
Their 17 offices were sealed while 35 complaints in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing for registration of FIRs were launched this year,” he said.
“The RDA had also requested Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to refrain private TV channels from airing advertisements of illegal housing societies.”
Moreover, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the DG of the FIA had also been approached to block bank, and social media accounts of such schemes, the spokesman said.