RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORTER
On the directives of Secretary Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department (HUD&PHE), Capt (Retd) Noorul Ameen Mengal, Deputy Secretary Housing Azeem Awan visited the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) to review serious concerns regarding incomplete and unauthorized development in the University Town Housing Scheme.
A special review meeting was held at the RDA Conference Room, where RDA officers presented a comprehensive briefing on the University Town’s approval history and legal actions taken against various violations. The review uncovered multiple breaches of approved development plans in Blocks A, B, C, E, and F, including ongoing unauthorized development and the misleading sale of plots without due approvals.
The Deputy Secretary directed the formation of a Working Group comprising including sponsors of University Town, representatives of affected allottees, concerned officers from the Engineering, and Land Directorates of RDA.
This Working Group will maintain a joint account to ensure financial transparency and enforce strict development timelines. Additionally, the infrastructure design vetting must be completed in accordance with RDA regulations, and all mortgage deed discrepancies are to be resolved without delay.
The Deputy Secretary Housing emphasized that penalties will be imposed for non-compliance, as per relevant rules. He directed that Mosques in Blocks A, B, and C must be completed at the sponsors’ expense, the boundary wall of the scheme must be finalized promptly, a maintenance policy for mosques should be prepared by the sponsors, a comprehensive development execution plan must be submitted within four months, with all development works to be completed within four months. He said release of mortgage plots will remain conditional on satisfactory development progress.
Further discussions addressed issues related to allotments, possession, and charges. It was decided that all adjustments must strictly comply with RDA regulations, no allotment cancellations will be allowed without RDA’s approval, violations will attract strict legal action, including potential First Information Reports (FIRs) for violation.
At the end, the Deputy Secretary Housing, Azeem Awan, along with RDA officers, conducted a field inspection of University Town. He reiterated the urgency of accelerating development work in the interest of protecting the public and restoring regulatory compliance.
Chief Planner RDA, Director Estate Management, Director LU&BC, Director MP&TE, Director LD, Director Engineering, Assistant Director Planning, Section Officer Housing-II, Jameel Khan from University Town, Umar Siddique Khattak from allottees attended the meeting.
