News
Thursday, June 20, 2013
LDA asks citizens not to invest in Bahria Town sectorsStaff Report
LAHORE: Making it clear that selling and purchasing plots in unapproved sectors is illegal, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has once again warned the people against investing their hard-earned money in Bahria Town’s controversial sectors D, E and F.
A senior LDA official told Daily Times that the authority had observed an increase in the sale and purchase of plots in real-estate in many housing societies of the city. “However, we want to make it clear, as we did earlier through official advertisements in leading newspapers of the city, that selling/purchasing plots in sectors D, E and F of the housing scheme is illegal under the law of the land.”
He said, “It is our duty and we have conveyed [the consequences] to the prospective plot purchasers and we should not be blamed in the future in case of any monetary loss to investors and those who desire to construct their home,” he said on the condition of anonymity.
The official said that property dealers were misguiding the people just to mint money, and that the government had the authority to initiate legal proceedings against such property dealers on the complaint of customers.
When asked why the LDA was not giving advertisements in the press once again for public information, the officer said that the authority had already spent a huge amount on such ads.
“We are not in a position to invest more money on advertisements. However, news channels can publicise it through free-of-cost public service messages in the interest of the general public,” he added.
He said that following the imposition of tax on frequent purchase and sale of plots, this activity was expected to decrease and only genuine buyers who wished to construct their homes would purchase plots; therefore “we want to warn them about illegal housing societies and illegal sectors of some other housing colonies”.
Earlier, an LDA Metropolitan Planning officer said the Bahria Town administration’s representatives visited the LDA office along with a written response to the show-cause notices served on the housing society by the LDA.
However, the reasons given in their response were invalid and inappropriate and did not provide a justification to by-pass the rules and regulations.
He said the issue of the three extended sectors in Bahria Town, owned by property tycoon Malik Riaz, on Link Canal Road near Mohlanwal, were still ‘unapproved’. “These sectors are not under the legal cover and selling plots there was illegal under the law.”
He said that under Section 18(2) of the Private Housing Scheme and Land Subdivision Rules-2010, the sale of plots in any schemes was prohibited until final approval is taken from the competent authority. He said the Lahore Metropolitan Planning was the competent authority and no approval had been taken from it so far.
It is noteworthy that the LDA gave an advertisement in newspapers in February titled “Buyers – Beware of Purchasing Plots: In Sectors D, E & F and Phase-2 of Bahria Town Lahore”. Bahria Town Media Manager Nida Zahoor was not available for comments.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk