ACE starts crackdown on illegal housing schemes

LAHORE:Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab, has started a crackdown on illegal housing schemes in Kalar Kahar, District Chakwal, The News has learnt.

According to the source in ACE, in the limits of beautiful and recreational place Kalar Kahar, housing societies, including Shalimar Farm covering 2,045-Kanal and six marlas, Falcon Town on 322-Kanal, Bismillah Farm 4,943-Kanal and 17 Marlas were being constructed. Sources in ACE shared that these societies did not get No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from environment department nor got accepted/passed plan from district council Chakwal. It caused a great loss to government exchequer. Additionally, natural beauty was dismantled by cutting of mountain, said ACE. On the instructions of Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Director General Muhammad Gauhar Nafees, ACE director Rawalpindi had initiated inquiry against these societies. The inquiry officers, including Deputy Director technical Anti-Corruption Rawalpindi and Deputy Director Investigation, Chakwal had summoned chief officer and district officer planning district council Chakwal, Assistant Director Environment District Chakwal so that responsibility could be fixed on those who brought loss to natural reservoirs of water, environment and wild life. The inquiry team had confiscated the official record. It was revealed during inquiry that Shalimar Hill Farm had got NOC from DG Environment Department (ED) but the rules of acquiring NOC were violated completely. It was revealed that there was a threat of land-sliding in the area because mountain was cut down. Other two societies Falcon Town and Bismillah Farm had not been issued NOC. It was also being investigated that these societies without getting NOC had started advertisements on social media.