Realtors rally against hike in LDA transfer fee

[Salman]

Realtors rally against hike in LDA transfer fee

LAHORE: A number of property dealers staged on Saturday a protest rally outside the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) complex in Johar Town against what they said a massive increase in property transfer fee.

On the other hand, the LDA administration termed the protest illogical, saying it was a bid of those who used to sell and purchase dubious properties and get record of these tampered with in connivance with clerical staff in the past.

The protesters burnt tyres and blocked main boulevard (Khyaban-i-Jinnah), putting traffic out of gear for sometime.

“Our protest is genuine, as we are here for the public and not to target any LDA official. They (LDA) have increased transfer fee up to 600 per cent. And the decision has not only affected the public at large but also our business,” Nadeem, a protester, told Dawn.

He said the protest would continue on a daily basis till withdrawal of the decision.

Talking to this reporter, a senior LDA official expressed wonder over the protest by those who were not party to the issue.

“The protest should be held by the people (seller or purchasers) and not by those who have nothing to do with the issue. When the public has no objection, why are they doing this,” the official said.

While justifying the decision, he said the LDA administration didn’t revise transfer fee for the last 21 years. But on the other hand, it introduced various reforms to streamline the system.

“We set up record-sifting cell, issuing various certificates (transfer letters, NOCs, completion certificates and other documents) on security featured paper to discourage forgery and allow sale and purchase between the genuine buyers,” he said.

The official said LDA also recruited the requisite staff in the newly established offices that enhanced the expenses. So, it was a dire need of the hour to increase the fees in order to meet the expenditure.

He said under a uniformed policy, per marla transfer fee had been increased to Rs7,000. He said the property dealers, through protest, actually wanted to have their access to various offices so as to get record of the property of their choice tampered with in connivance with the low-grade officials.

“But we will not allow anyone to do so,” the official said.