Peshawar: Property dealers protest against PDA

[Naveed Yaseen]

PESHAWAR: In an emergency meeting here Tuesday, the Peshawar Property Dealers Association alleged that an assistant director of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) was unduly promoted to the office of director general and investors were shifting to other places because of the “cruel” policies of PDA.

Fazal Muhammad Khan, president of the association, said Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti recently gave “undue” promotion to Assistant Director of Finance Qazi Laeeq Khan and elevated him to the post of the PDA director general.

Accusing the PDA chief of pursuing wrong policies, he alleged the authority was looting the property dealers on a host of issues such as issuance of no-objection certificate, road cross fees, double CVT on houses, illegal fines, increase in water connection charges and transfer deed fee, etc.

The property dealers’ body chief alleged that the PDA was allotting commercial plots to blue-eyed people and unnecessary and needless staff was recruited in the authority that was a burden on the resources. “Despite heavy fees and increase in various charges, most of the roads in Hayatabad are broken, water is a rare commodity, heaps of garbage could be seen everywhere and sewerage lines are closed,” Fazal Muhammad alleged.

The dealers later staged a protest demonstration in front of the PDA building and proceeded towards the Chief Minister House. The protesting dealers chanted slogans against the PDA and provincial government. They said the already weakened economy of the province could not bear burden of further taxes.

The protesters demanded of the government to give special package for the province by exempting it from all taxes and fines for the next 10 years.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=191461