Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif presided over a special meeting to examine suggestions for regularizing unauthorized housing societies in the province. Highlighting the urgency of the issue, she added that legal compliant housing schemes should be regularized immediately to bring relief to the affected citizens. She underscored the mutual accountability of the government departments in the spread of illegal housing societies, with the observation that their nexus facilitated illegal constructions while the common consumer faced the consequences of penalties. "Why did the concerned institutions turn a blind eye to unauthorized development of housing societies?" she asked, underscoring that poor citizens had paid for plots they never got. To solve these problems, the Chief Minister directed abolition of unnecessary No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the registration of housing societies. She also sanctioned the establishment of a high-level committee to monitor the regularization process.

 

In a historic initiative, CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered authorities to digitalize Punjab's real estate sector for the first time and launched a comprehensive housing society management system. The system will provide online approvals, management, and property transfers and permit NOC fees to be paid online upon filing of necessary documents.

 

She also reiterated that housing society development and regulation would be simplified through this online platform and made transparent. The Chief Minister discussed several ideas to set up foolproof mechanisms for the regulation of housing societies and suggested a one-time amnesty for schemes that comply with the legal framework.

 

During the briefing, the officials told her that Punjab boasts 7,905 housing societies covering a total area of about 2 million kanals of land. Of these, 2,687 are sanctioned, while 5,118 are illegal or pending sanction. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) is also managing 707 schemes, of which 427 are sanctioned, 206 are illegal, and 74 are pending sanction. The reforms seek to check malpractices and safeguard the people from spurious property transactions.