As the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has failed to stop construction of buildings without NOCs, another illegal market has popped up on High Court Road.
The illegal commercial building has been constructed at a residential area without getting prior necessary approval from the RDA’s buildings department. A source, however, said that corrupt officials of the buildings department have facilitated the owner of the building after taking bribe from him.
Over 12 commercial markets have already been built on the High Court Road in the past.
Qasim, a resident of a private housing society, told Online that commercial markets are built in residential areas to evade millions of rupees commercial taxes.
The source said that an order was issued to demolish a commercial market constructed illegally in Gulraiz, but the order has been halted all at a sudden.
Similarly, eight markets have illegally been constructed in the Gulraiz Housing Society, a few kilometres away from the GT Road.
An RDA official, when contacted, said that the department has no information about the illegal market. A field official could not give a convincing reply only just saying “he will look into the matter”.
The residents have appealed to the Supreme Court, the interior minister and the RDA to take notice of illegal construction of commercial markets in residential areas. They have also demanded strict action against the officials involved in issuing illegal construction orders.