Unapproved dwellings: LDA to register cases against illegal housing schemes

[Salman]

LAHORE:
The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) will register cases against owners of illegal private housing schemes, Chief Metropolitan Planner Waheed Butt said on Monday.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Butt said that 98 housing schemes located inside Lahore were illegal. “Notices have been sent to the illegal schemes. The owners should present their record to the LDA or apply for approval,” he said.
He said people should not buy plots in the schemes until they were approved by the LDA. “Any purchases made in such schemes have no legal value. People who have already bought plots should ask the scheme owners to apply for approval,” Butt said.
“Prospective buyers can get information about the status of a housing scheme or land sub-division from the LDA,” he said. According to a statement by the LDA, 69 illegal schemes were located in the jurisdiction of Nishtar Town tehsil municipal administration (TMA), 14 in Wagha Town, 10 in Iqbal Town and five in Aziz Bhatti Town.
The schemes in Nishtar Town are: Alam Residency, Vital Premium, Anwar Town, Badar Colony, Bilal Town, Fatima Houses, Gillani Homes, Gillani Park-I, Gillani Park-II, Green Cap Housing Society (H/S), Iqbal Park, Al Madina Town H/S , Gulshan-i-Amin, Haji Amanat Ali Estate, Hajveri Gardens, Ideal Garden H/S, Koh-i-Noor H/S, Malik Park, Mian Qasim Estate, Sadaat Colony, Waheed Brothers, Gul Nishan H/S, Haji Amanat Ali Shah, Heaven Homes, Islam Park H/S, Johar Villas H/S, Jamal Homes, Prime Homes, Judicial Avenue H/S, Mahnoor Villas, Rehman Park, Nasir Colony, Park View Villas, Sub-Division adjacent to T&T H/S, Villas Adjacent to Abpara H/S, Mian Farm Houses, Mustafa Town, Ghausia Colony, Azaan Housing Scheme, 1,384 K Housing Scheme, Abdullah Park Housing Scheme, Abdullah Park Housing Scheme, Al Rehman Foundation Housing Scheme, Badar Colony, Elite Town, Gulberg Park Housing Scheme, Haji Park Housing Scheme, Sabir Estate-II Housing Scheme, Madina View Housing Scheme, Mian Ji Abdullah Housing Scheme, Akhtarabad H/S, Al Haram Gardens, Aziz Colony, Bilal Town, Faisal Town Phase II, Gulberg Park, Indus Estate, Lahore Garden, New Gulshan-i-Lahore, Olympic Village, Roshan Town, Subhan Garden, Grand Avenue, Rehan Garden, Pearl Garden, Madina Avenue, Nazir Garden and Zain Homes.
The illegal schemes in Wagha Town are: Shareef Park, Hakim Town, Jeeva Park, Tayyab Town, Feroze Park, Al Madina Garden, Khabar Garden, Ali Alam Garden, Tufail Garden, Rizwan Garden, Lahore Medical Housing Scheme Phase I, Lahore Medical Housing Scheme Phase II, Asad Town and Garrison Garden Phase III.
The names of 10 schemes in Iqbal Town are: Abdullah Town, Aamna Park, Hafiz Town, Husnain Park, LDA Employees Housing Society, Jameel Park, Pak Town, Rana Town, Doctor’s Society and Sub-Division adjacent to Sultan Town. The names of five illegal schemes in Aziz Bhatti Town are: Hajveri, Mian Aziz Garden, Paragon City/Imperial Homes, IBL Homes and Arshad Garden.
The statement said that under the LDA Act 1975, only the authority could approve private housing schemes or land sub-divisions after September 19, 2013.
“Any approval granted by any other authority, town municipal administration, tehsil municipal administration, any local body or any other government agency in Lahore division after September 19, 2013 is not valid and lawful,” the statement said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2014.