Daily Times

Despite the passage of almost two months, the police are reluctant to lodge First Information Report (FIR) on the applications of Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) against the violators of building bylaws.

According to details, the MCR had filed an application on July 22, 2019 in New Town Police Station to register an FIR against the Ghulam Rasool – owner of a property – for violating the building bylaws in construction of a commercial plaza at F-Block Satellite Town Near Katarian Market Rawalpindi.

Sources said that MCR had issued the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for construction of three floors (one plus two) with the instructions to follow the building bylaws and approved the building plan on the said property.

Violating the building bylaws, the owner made construction on the shad of the building. Moreover, construction of the fifth floor is also underway at the same property.

The MCR has issued many notices to the owner of the property to immediately stop the construction but the he did not bother. Finally, the MCR building inspector filed an application in New Town Police Station to lodge an FIR against the building owner.

MCR Municipal Officer-Planning (MOP) Abdul Salam said that more than 26 applications were pending in the Sadiqabad Police Station, while many others were also pending in other police stations of the city, including an application in New Town PS, but the police were reluctant to lodge FIR against the violators of building bylaws.

He added that the police did not accept the application unless requested multiple times.

“We are receiving complaints regarding the illegal construction on a daily basis through the Prime Minister Citizen Portal, but the police do not cooperate with us,” Abdul Salam added.

To a question regarding pursuing the application, he said the duty of MCR building inspector was to file an application in the police station, after which it was the responsibility of the police to lodge the FIR on the application. He said it was not possible for the building inspector to follow up each application and visit police stations daily.

When contacted, the Station House Officer (SHO) of New Town Police Station, Naveed, said, “Let me check the status of the application.” Despite repeated attempts, the SHO did not reply whether the FIR was registered or not. The SHO of Sadiqabad Police Station, Shujjat Ali, could not be reached for his comments.

Anticorruption department in its survey report had declared that 70 percent of the buildings were illegal.

The officials, during a survey, sought record of maps of city plazas and others but despite repeated notices no record was provided while it had been said that that no record was available. After that a three-member team under deputy director (technical) of the anti-corruption department was constituted and directed to conduct a survey of plazas in Rawalpindi.

It has been said in the report that there is no parking place in the plazas and also in the basement shops are constructed in place of parking, which had been given on rent or sold.