Rawalpindi Cant Board cuts building plan fee by 50%

[Naveed Yaseen]

Stops demolition of Eidgah till provision of land

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saeed Ahmed

Rawalpindi

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) on Saturday reduced the charges of building plan fee by 50 per cent on both residential and commercial property owners.

RCB Chief Executive Officer Rafi Adil Siddique told ‘The News’ that it was demand of the public for reduction in building plan fee since it was raised in the start of the current month. Earlier, the RCB used to charge Rs80 per square yard from residential and Rs1,000 per square yard from the commercial owners.

For initiating development works in all wards, the RCB had raised the fee from Rs80 per square yard to Rs500 on residential and Rs2,000 per square yard from Rs1000 per square yard from commercial property holders. However, the people from all walks of life had demanded of the RCB President and Station Commander, Brigadier Zaman Khan Niazi, and the CEO to reconsider the decision relating to building plan fee.

The people had expressed their inability to pay Rs500 per square yard and Rs2000 per square yard development charges. In view of this situation, Station Commander Brig Niazi taking the decision in the best interest of the people has announced 50 per cent reduction in the building plan fee on both residential and commercial property holders.

According to the new decision, the RCB would charge Rs250 per square yard building plan fee for residential and Rs500 per square yard for commercial properties. Earlier, the commercial fee was raised from Rs200 to Rs1000 per square yard and now it has been reduced by 50 per cent. Similarly, the CEO also informed about a project which include carpeting and widening of roads from Chungi no 22 to Tench Bhatta to end traffic hazards.

He said that the RCB on the insistence of the residents of Chungi no 22 has stopped demolition of Eidgah. The purpose behind demolition of the Eidgah was to widen the road. A big mosque already exists at main road of Chungi Chowk where people could arrange Namaz-e-Janaza.

The demolition of Eidgah has been stopped on temporary basis. It would be demolished after provision of land near Aadara for building new Eidgah for the residents of Chungi no 22, he stated.

The CEO asked the people to cooperate with the RCB in ending traffic hurdles from the main Chungi Chowk to roads connecting Tench, Dhoke Syedan and Kalma Chowk. Rafi Adil also appealed to the owners of commercial and residential properties not to convert their 10 marlas land into two parts just to get themselves exempted from the tax. It causes huge loss worth millions of rupees to the board. “If the people do not comply with the orders of the RCB, then certainly legal action would be taken against the violators,” the CEO warned.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=204988