Lahore: DHA commercial building owners warn of sit-in

[Naveed Yaseen]

THE DHA Commercial Building Owners Association has threatened to hold a sit-in to protest against the increase in commercialization fee and property tax by DHA and Cantonment Board authorities.

Office bearers of the association made this announcement in a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club on Friday.

Raja Maroof, the general secretary of the association, said the body had already approached top military and civil leadership for help but in vain. He said possession of a plot in DHA was given after full payment of dues. He said owners of 460 commercial buildings in DHA had already paid full amount and cleared dues and were paying huge amount as property tax for many years. He said the DHA administration recently served bills amounting to Rs 450,000 to Rs 200,000 to commercial buildings in commercial areas of block F, G, H and L in Phase 1, DHA.

He alleged that the DHA administration has started allotment of areas left for Community Centres, clubs, cinemas, car parks, hospitals and playgrounds in commercial areas to its officials. He said earlier common builders were not allowed to construct building above the limit of 40 feet, which later increased to 55 feet and then to 77 feet for special investors and builders. He said recently the DHA demolished a marriage hall in U block, Phase 2, and started construction of a 110-feet plaza. He said another 136-feet commercial plaza was being constructed on a plot reserved for a cinema in R block, Phase 2, DHA. He said the cinema was shifted to a school.

He said another 160-feet plaza was under construction on 27 kanal land in phase IV, which was reserved for a playground. Likewise, space left for parking in front of a school in Phase III was now reserved for a commercial building, he maintained. He said that in phase 1, the DHA administration had constructed a commercial plaza on a residential plot located adjacent to a mosque.

Raja Maroof said that many commercial building owners had got stay orders from various courts but the DHA and Cantonment Board authorities did not accept these orders. He said Walton Cantonment Board has also increased property tax by 400 per cent and was collecting this tax by force. He said anyone raising objection to policies of authorities in DHA and Cantonment Boards had to face harassment in the form of disconnection of utilities as well as threats by the

DHA and Cantonment Board’s security staff.

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