17,000 KP govt employees waiting to build their house for last 29 years

PESHAWAR: Retired professor Dr. Syed Zahir Shah, 68, has been dreaming of building his own house for the past 29 years. He was allotted a plot in the government housing scheme, Regi Model Town, Peshawar, in 1994 and paid the charges of the plot to the Peshawar Development Authority but is still awaiting possession of his plot.

Dr. Zahir Shah is not the only one but around 17,000 government servants and retired officials are waiting to build their houses. Hundreds of people have died and now their children are waiting for possession of plots. Another retired professor, Hakeem Khan, said all the political parties ruled the province but could not resolve the long-standing dispute over three zones of the RMT.

“Unfortunately, I got a plot in Zone 5. It seems that it will not be handed over to me in my lifetime. Maybe my kids can build a house in Regi Model Town”, he said.

Delay in the completion of government housing scheme has been blamed on the land dispute for which dozens of meetings and jirgas have been held but no solution has been found. The government claims that the owners have been paid, while the Koki Khel tribes say they own the land and should be paid. Due to the land dispute, government employees could not get possession of their plots for the past 29 years despite paying the price.

The Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) launched the housing project “Regi Model Town Peshawar” in the public sector in the early nineties (1991) and the project was planned and divided into 5 zones (zones 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5). The authority allotted plots to various government departments, organisations, institutions, universities, federal and provincial government employees, judges, police, and police Shuhada as well. In 1994, government employees were allotted plots through balloting in different zones.

The PDA collected 100% land and all development authority charges from all the allottees as per the time schedule.

Despite 100% payments, including all development charges by the allottees of all zones 1, 2, 3, and 4&5, PDA partially developed only zone 3 & 4 and handed over possessions to their allottees/transferees/owners of plots. While Zones 1,2,& 5 were neither developed nor possession was given to owners, including government servants.

Dr. Syed Zahir Shah told this correspondent that affected people of RMT zone 1, 2 & 5, including retired/in-service government servants and Shuhada families, are more than seventeen thousand members or in other words, more than seventeen thousand families are the victims of this negligence and inability of PDA.

“Those affected have knocked on all the relevant forums but solution and justice are not yet provided despite full payments, including development charges, etc. Most of the employees who got plots in 1993 have died but their children have not yet got possession of the plots.

The government has so far been able to open only two out of five zones in the housing society, but both zones also lack basic amenities,” he said

Another retired officer Zakaullah said the government neither gives plots to the victims nor refunds the money. Alternative plots can also be allotted to the victims to settle the long-standing issue.

Former chief minister Mahmood Khan had directed the authorities to propose a way forward for dealing with the tribe to clear zone 1, 2, and 5 till April 30, 2021. The committee included commissioner Peshawar, DG PDA, DC Peshawar, and DC Khyber but the occupiers are continuously making illegal constructions.

Meanwhile, head of government committee Commissioner Peshawar Zubair Khan told this correspondent that the government was working on it.

It was a longstanding dispute between the PDA and Koki Khel tribe. In fact, it is a demarcation dispute that needs to be resolved by taking the parties into confidence. He said hopefully the issue would be resolved soon.