KARACHI: With widespread speculations surrounding the Bahria Town Karachi’s (BTK) fate, plot file holders suffer as the real estate giant remains unavailable to respond to its customers queries.
The air of uncertainty about the fate of the project persists following the Supreme Court (SC)’s landmark judgement banning sale and purchase of plots in PTK over illegal procurement of land from Malir Development Authority (MDA).
Plot file holders express their dissatisfaction with the real estate developer over its failure to issue a statement clarifying the status of the project. The concerns of the plot file holders worsen in an environment where all kind of speculation is rife. Some authorised estate agents and dealers are reportedly spreading rumours that the SC decision does not have any impact on the sale and purchase of BTK plots.
Tariq Mengal, a plot file holder, says that it is a matter of concern for him that the BTK had not issued any statement even after a week from the SC judgement.
Another plot file holder, Fahad Fahim Ansari, says the BTK administration is not attending calls after the SC’s decision, adding that the BTK has failed to complete its projects on time.
Uzma Khan, also a plot file holder, has shared her concerns on the BTK’s official Facebook page. Her post notes that the real estate developer had committed to giving possession of land before the date announced initially, but now it has been three months since that date passed and there is no sign of plot possession. “BTK should give some clarification in this scenario as official response will give some confidence to its clients,” says a desperate client, Sammi Khan.
Another BTK client claims that the management in the Karachi office is misguiding customers by giving wrong information regarding payment of monthly installments.
According to the SC verdict, plot file holders are required to submit their payments to the Additional Registrar at the Karachi Registry of the SC. Sharing his experience, Muhammad Adnan Chand, a plot file holder, says, “I went to the SC registry and they said it is out of question to submit any money to BTK after SC orders.”
Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) chairman Arif Yousuf Jeewa says, “Our only concern in this matter is that the clients of BTK should not be made to suffer, we hope that the committee constituted by the SC will give its report in three-months and the uncertainty will be cleared.”
However, he says, in the meantime, the BTK administration should come forward and issue a detail statement over the matter.
He says if the BTK is not involved in any illegal procurement of land, they (BTK) should take their clients into confidence by updating them with the status of the audit of land. Jeewa says ABAD has been raising concerns about undue favours given by Sindh government to Bahria Town for a long time.
On the other hand, a proprietor at Ryan Estate Agency, Hayat Khan, said that in fact the SC decision was in favour of Bahria Town. “After the settlement between BTK and MDA, the land deal of BTK will not be challengeable in any court.”
Published in Daily Times, May 10th 2018.