RAWALPINDI, Feb 13 (APP): The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has sealed the site office of an unauthorised housing project, Anchorage Islamabad Phase-II, and stopped its inaugural ceremony as part of a crackdown on illegal schemes.
According to the RDA spokesman, acting on the directions of Commissioner Rawalpindi and Director General RDA, Engineer Aamer Khattak, the authority carried out an operation against the project located at Mouza Thalian in Rawalpindi district.
He said the authority also issued show-cause notices to the scheme’s director and to Skyways Marketing/Xpress Marketing Pvt Ltd for allegedly advertising and marketing the unapproved project on social media.
The violations cited include illegal booking of plots, unauthorised advertisement and marketing through private firms, installation of billboards at various locations, and commencement of development work before obtaining formal approval.
The authority said that under Section 34 of the Punjab Development of Cities Act, 1976, such offences are cognisable and punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 per day. Additional daily fines may be imposed after conviction, while separate penalties ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 per day may apply depending on the size of the scheme.
The spokesman informed that Commissioner Rawalpindi has warned the public to avoid investing in unapproved housing projects and not to be misled by fraudulent claims of legal status.
He said the RDA had also written to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad, its Cyber Crime Wing, and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Islamabad regarding alleged illegal online advertisements of private housing schemes on social media platforms and messaging applications.
According to the RDA, some developers falsely claimed to have obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the authority.
The DG RDA has directed the MP&TE Directorate to take strict action, without fear or favour, against illegal or unauthorised housing schemes, commercial activities, booking offices and encroachments, the spokesperson added.