LAHORE – The provincial government has decided to award proprietary rights to the dwellers of katchi abadis, approved by the Punjab Local Government Department.

The decision was being taken on the directive of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The Lahore Development Authority directed the residents of 154 approved katchi abadis to contact the LDA Directorate immediately for getting proprietary rights.

The LDA officials told this scribe that out of total about 48 thousand claims, government already awarded proprietary rights to 10 thousand residents of such abadies while remaining about 38 thousands residents had been directed now to submit their claims/applications with other available documents.

The dwellers welcomed the decision of the provincial government of awarding proprietary rights to the residents of these abadies. But, they expressed apprehensions in this regard saying the LDA authorities would charge huge amount as price of such plots as they earlier were demanding Rs 40 thousand per marla from the residents.

However, the officials clarified that dwellers would be charged a very nominal amount of Rs 185 per marla as price of land, the rate fixed by the provincial government for the residents of these katchi abadis. They said the proprietary rights at the price of Rs 185 per marla would only be given to those dwellers, claiming for a piece of land of 5 marlas.

“Those having possession of more than 5 marlas would have to pay price according to DC rate or market rate of 1985 per marla, which yet to be assessed by government”, they further clarified.

The LDA officials said the residents of such colonies or residential localities, developed on federal government’s land or on the property of Evacuate Trust did not fall in the above said category. “Neither the Punjab government nor any provincial department approved such localities as katchi abadis. It is not authorized to allot such land to the residents without the permission or will of the federal government,” they said.