Housing schemes barred from ad without obeying rules

[Salman]

Housing schemes barred from ad without obeying rules


LAHORE : In order to protect the right and interest of general public, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has warned all private housing schemes to stop advertisement through any means, including media, before completing the newly introduced rules and regulations.

LDA sources said the Authority had approved new rules under which it revised the fee structure for registration of private housing societies in Lahore Division. According to new fee structure, the sponsors of Private Housing Schemes had to pay a preliminary planning fee of Rs 1000 per kanal of total scheme area along with the application.

The sources said the fee for sanction of a scheme was Rs.10,000/- per kanal of total scheme area, approval of design and specifications for water supply, sewerage and drainage at the rate of Rs.1,000/- per kanal of total scheme area, approval of design and specifications for road, bridge and footpath of a scheme at the rate of Rs.1,000/- per kanal of total scheme area, approval of design and specifications for electricity and street / public lighting at the rate fixed by concerned agency or other agency responsible for electricity supply, approval of a revised scheme and service design at the rate of fifty percent of the fee mentioned at (a) to (d) above. However, for an additional area full fee shall be levied at the same rate as applicable for the approval of a new scheme.

The sources added that the fee for transfer or amalgamation of scheme at the rate of 25% of the prevailing fee applicable for approval of housing scheme, fee for conversion of land uses from peri-urban area to housing scheme use at the rate of five percent of the value of the residential land as per valuation table or five percent of the average sale price of preceding twelve months of residential land in the vicinity, if valuation table was not available, fee for approval of design and specifications for horticulture and solid waste management plan at the rate fixed by concerned agency.

The sources maintained that the owner shall deposit fee of Rs. 1,000/- for scrutiny and fee for sub-division of plot in approved housing scheme at the rate of Rs. 30,000/- per additional plot. They said already issued challans would not be affective by these rules and revised fee structure.

A senior LDA official said that except Lahore Development Authority, no other Authority or Town Municipal Administration / Tehsil Municipal Administration or any local body or any other government agency was authorized to approve any private housing scheme / land sub-divisions in Lahore Division after 19.09.2013 and any approval granted by any other Authority or Town Municipal Administration / Tehsil Administration or any local body or any other Government agency in Lahore Division, after 19.09.2013, shall not be valid and lawful.

He said sponsors were not allowed to advertise any scheme or project prior to formal approval by Lahore Development Authority and without getting a No Objection Certificate from the LDA. He maintained that the advertisement must contain total area of the scheme with location plan, aggregate of residential and commercial plots, detail of mortgaged plots, period of completion of development works, name of Competent Authority and Sanction No. of the Layout Plan of the scheme, procedure of allotment of plots through balloting or otherwise and details of plots to be sold.

Another senior LDA official said it had been noticed that advertisements of some schemes were being published in newspapers without getting the No Objection Certificate from the Lahore Development Authority and without observing the recommended contents of advertisement as contained in Lahore Development Authority Private Housing Scheme Rules 2014. He said in the public interest all advertising agencies were requested to ensure that sponsor had No Objection Certificate from the Lahore Development Authority for the advertisement to be published in print and electronic media and the abovementioned requirement of advertisement are fulfilled.

He said that the prospective buyers of plots in any housing scheme / land sub-division in jurisdiction of Lahore Division were advised that before purchasing the plots in any of the private housing scheme make sure that valid NOC of the LDA for advertisement of the scheme was mentioned in the advertisement.

The LDA spokesman said all the prospective buyers of plots in any housing scheme / land sub-division in jurisdiction of Lahore Division were further advised to get information about the legality of the housing scheme / land subdivision and status of plot(s) from Lahore Development Authority.