Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said that the government has decided to set up a commission to regularize housing schemes in Punjab and take strict action against illegal housing schemes.
While issuing an ordinance for setting up of commission, he said that illegal housing schemes will not be tolerated under any circumstances and immediate and strict measures will be taken against them.
According to the ordinance, a commission headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan would be constituted to take action against illegal housing schemes in Punjab. A town planner with 20 years of national and international experience will also be a member of the commission, while a civil engineer with 20 years of experience, a lawyer and an environmentalist with national and international experience will also be a member of the commission. At the same time, the commission will be able to get the services of an expert from any relevant public or private sector.
Issued by the Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, the ordinance further stated that any housing scheme which does not comply with the legal requirements will be punished 2% of the land as a penalty and if the housing scheme is set up without parks and open spaces, the commission will be able to impose a penalty of 2 times of the value of deficit land as per residential value. In case of non-allocation of space for the cemetery, the Commission will be authorized to impose a penalty of 2 times the deficit land as per residential value and at the same time, a housing scheme will be bound to purchase and allocate space for the cemetery within a radius of 5 km.
According to the ordinance, the Commission will be able to charge 3 times of the value of deficit land of the said housing scheme as a penalty for lack of space allotted for the public and if a housing scheme does not meet the required standards for road construction to link to the main road 3 times of the value of deficit land as per applicable residential valuation table will also be levied as a penalty.
If the required standard of roads is not maintained even within the housing scheme, then the housing scheme will have to pay 2 times the value of deficit land as per applicable residential valuation table as a penalty.
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that with the establishment of the commission, immediate and strict action would be taken against illegal housing schemes and those who robbed the people by creating illegal housing schemes would not be able to escape the punishment as per the law. The government will ensure transparency and merit and protect the interests of the people, he added.
