RAWALPINDI, Feb 25 (APP):The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has warned the public against 293 unauthorised and illegal private housing schemes operating within its controlled areas and announced strict legal action against their owners and developers.
On the directions of the Commissioner Rawalpindi and Director General, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Engineer Aamer Khattak, the RDA’s Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering (MP&TE) Directorate issued a public advisory highlighting serious violations committed by sponsors and developers.
The affected areas fall within the jurisdictions of the Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) as well as the tehsil and district councils of Rawalpindi, Taxila, Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan and Kahuta.
According to the authority, violations under the Punjab Development Authorities Private Housing Schemes Rules, 2021 include launching schemes without formal approval, submitting incomplete applications, failing to meet mandatory regulatory requirements, withdrawing applications after initiation of legal proceedings, and not obtaining approval of the Layout Plan (LOP) duly signed by the competent authority.
Other breaches include unauthorised development, marketing, advertisement, booking, sale or transfer of plots; development beyond the land applied for; and major deviations from approved or submitted plans, including illegal plots, roads and amenities.
The RDA said these violations were identified through site inspections, ground surveys, public complaints and monitoring of print, electronic and social media platforms.
The authority stated that strict legal action had been initiated and would continue against violators in accordance with the law. Measures include issuance of statutory notices, registration of FIRs, sealing of offices and project sites, demolition of illegal structures, bans on land transactions, referral of cases to the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over unlawful advertisements and financial irregularities, and initiation of prosecution proceedings.
All sponsors and developers of unauthorised schemes have been directed to immediately cease illegal development, marketing, advertisement, booking and sale activities, warning that failure to comply would result in further action without notice.
The RDA strongly advised the general public, including overseas Pakistanis, investors and property dealers, not to invest in any housing scheme without verifying its approval status with the authority. It clarified that terms such as “file submitted”, “under scrutiny” or “under process” do not constitute formal approval, and that any transaction in an unauthorised scheme would be undertaken entirely at the purchaser’s or investor’s own risk and cost.
Following publication of the notice, the authority said it would not be held responsible for financial losses incurred in transactions involving schemes declared unauthorised or illegal.
The public has been urged to visit the official RDA website, www.rda.gop.pk, to verify the approval status of any housing scheme before making property transactions.