RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) is not serving its purpose as it does not seem to be taking any steps to stop the mushroom growth of housing societies in and around city areas, which are working without obtaining permission.

“It is the absence a master plan of the city and any metropolitan development which gives developers a free hand to design and establish housing societies without permission,” a senior RDA official told Dawn.

He said the RDA has notified only 45 housing societies in and around the city areas, all of which have not made any arrangements for water supply and sewerage.

1,857 acres of forest land has been encroached on in Rawalpindi district alone, most of which is used to establish housing societies on

Under the law, he said, housing societies are required to provide a water supply system and a sewerage system, graveyard, school, college and a public park.

“The land of these public facilities is to be transferred to the government,” he said.

The RDA official added that the existing water supply and sewerage system is over burdened due to these housing societies and have in many places stopped working.

In 2012, the Environment Department issued notices to more than 20 housing societies in the city to make arrangements for releasing sewage after treatment but no further action was taken and all sewage from housing societies is being released without being treated in the Leh Nullah, which creates problems during the monsoon.

“However, most of the societies are owned by influential personalities and they ignore repeated requests,” an official of the Environment Department told Dawn.

A senior official of the Forest Department told Dawn that a master plan will be formed. He said private housing societies’ records will also be checked to see if they have permission from relevant civic authorities.

The official added that new building by-laws will soon be introduced in the area and the civic body has been asked to prepare reports about ownership details of land in order to implement the new by-laws.

Former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Arif Abbasi told Dawn that the district administration does not have a master plan and does not plan for the future when running day-to-day affairs. He said billions of rupees have been spent on schools in Rawalpindi but children still have to bring drinking water from home.

“I raised a question in the Punjab Assembly regarding the encroachments on forest land and the district administration in a written reply said 1,857 acres of forest land in Rawalpindi district had been encroached on and that there have been no efforts for retrieving the land,” he said.

Mr Abbasi added that the land of the forest department in Rawalpindi is being used for the establishment of housing societies, to which the administration is giving permission as there is no master plan.

When contacted, RDA spokesperson Hafiz Irfan said 45 housing societies are registered with the RDA and that 31 are operating illegally.

He said RDA will be taking action against illegal construction and housing societies.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2018