Rawalpindi: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned the airing of all illegal and unapproved housing schemes located in the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) jurisdiction, news sources reported on May 23. The directions were given to all print and broadcast agencies at the request of the RDA.
Reportedly, RDA has recommended that PEMRA ban the marketing of any unlawful housing projects on TV channels, radio stations, and social media platforms to prevent consumers from being scammed. In the public’s interest, the PEMRA will block and suspend the social media accounts of all illegal housing schemes and their owners.
According to RDA sources, there are around 134 housing projects in District Council Rawalpindi, including 88 illegal and unapproved plans, functioning within the RDA’s jurisdiction. In addition, the following schemes are in operation in various regions of the Rawalpindi division:
7 schemes and housing projects are either unapproved or illegal in Tehsil Murree
28 schemes and housing projects are illegal within Tehsil Taxila
8 housing projects are unapproved and illegal in Tehsil Gujar Khan
3 housing projects are within the limits of Tehsil Kotli Sattian
The RDA spokesperson also stated that the Director-General (DG) RDA CAPT (Retd.) Tahir Zafar Abbasi has written letters to PEMRA, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), District Collector Rawalpindi, and Commissioner Islamabad to block social media and bank accounts of all the owners of the illegal housing schemes.
It is worth noting that the Lahore High Court (LHC) instructed the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) in February 2022 to curb the promotion of unlawful housing developments within its jurisdiction. Following the LHC judgement, the LDA made QR codes with the project’s legal status mandatory for the advertising of housing schemes.
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
