RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board Citizen Action Committee on Sunday rejected a notification issued to bring the lease rates of old grant properties at a par with that of the FBR.

In a statement, the committee said an increase of up to 80pc in the old grant property lease prices will make it impossible for people to follow the lease policy.

The government should withdraw this increase immediately so that people can convert their properties into regular leases.

An old grant property is the one that was allotted to people by the British rulers.

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board Citizen Action Committee Chairman Mohammad Farooq Chaudhry, President Central Association of Traders Sheikh Mohammad Hafeez and General Secretary Zafar Qadri in their joint statement said the lease policy of old grant property of the cantonment board area was formulated in November 2023 and was for five years.

They said the rates were already so high and people couldn’t lease the property. These old grant properties have been transferred to them from their ancestors, so unless there is a convenient rate for transferring it people will not be able to transfer the property on a regular lease.

They said FBR had increased the rates by 80pc for old grant property.

The decision is creating problems for people. In this regard, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is requested to review these rates.

They said these properties were very dilapidated and old which did not generate any substantial income. Allottees of these properties were paying property tax regularly.

“We hope the federal government will take notice of the increased rates and withdraw the decision, so that people can get regular lease of their properties,” they added.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024