PESHAWAR, Feb 18: Acting on public complaints, the district administration on Friday decided to launch a crackdown on illegal housing societies in Peshawar.

“Most of the housing societies in the capital city do not fulfill the criteria set for them by the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA),” said district coordination officer, Peshawar, Siraj Ahmed Khan. The decision to take action against the illegal housing societies was taken in a meeting chaired by the DCO and attended by PDA director buildings Imtiaz Khan, Col. (retired) Waheed and administrators of the four towns besides other officials of the district government.

The owners of these illegal housing societies could be charged under Section 419, 420, 468 and 471 of Pakistan Penal Code for deceiving people and violation of rules set for establishing a housing scheme, the DCO told Dawn on Friday.

“Around 14 of the 21 housing schemes in Peshawar are illegal,” he said and added that according to the rules, a housing society should not be made on a land less than 160 kanals and without approval of the PDA.

The DCO said that the owners of the housing schemes should mention proper plotting, roads, mosques, playgrounds and business market in the map before selling it to the people, but most of the schemes did not have such facilities.

“I have directed the district officer revenue to stop transfer of land in the illegally declared housing schemes,” he said and added that these societies had looted the poor by receiving huge amount and allotting plots to them in the illegal housing schemes.

The housing schemes which have been declared illegal include Khyber Garden, Yaseen Abad; Hira Town, Inqilab Road Chamkani; Tariq Town (Bacha Town), Larama Road; Officers Gardan, Babo Garhi Warsak Road; Akbar Modal Town, Budhni Road; Galaxy Town, Ring Road; Hayat Garden, Dalazak Road; Sadat Model Town, Budhni; Alnemra Garden, Rano Garhi; Golden Gate City, Jaghra; New City Home, GT Road; University Modent Town, Nasir Bagh; Aziz Town, Warsak Road; and Haji Khan Town, Pajjagi Road.