DG GDA tells builders to hand over plots to allottees in Gwadar housing schemes

GWADAR: A meeting of the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) and the Gwadar Builders and Developers Association (GBDA) was held under the chairmanship of Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) Director General Moeenur Rehman Khan. It reviewed development work, allottees’ complaints, land issues and basic facilities in residential, commercial and industrial housing schemes in Gwadar.

The meeting also discussed in detail the slow pace of development work, the failure to give allottees possession of their plots, and the complaints and concerns received by institutions including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

GDA Director Town Planning Shahid Ali, Chief Engineer Syed Muhammad and Deputy Director Town Planning Abdul Razzaq attended on behalf of the authority. ABAD Gwadar Chapter Convener Affan Qureshi, Co-convener Haji Abdul Ghani, Mahmood Yaqoob, Irshad Ali Shad, Mansoor Hot, Abdul Salam and Shabbir Baloch were also present. ABAD Vice Chairman Syed Khurshid Alam, Colonel (retd) Maqbool Afridi, GBDA President Ahmed Iqbal Baloch, Secretary General Basit Malik, Faisal Idrees, Mahmood A. Khan, Shamaz Usman, Humayun Saeed and Fahad Ahsan joined through video link.

Stress on restoring allottees’ confidence

Moeenur Rehman Khan said various housing schemes had been set up in Gwadar over the past two decades. However, in some of them allottees have still not received possession of their plots, and development work has not moved at the required pace. As a result, allottees have repeatedly approached institutions including NAB with complaints, which affects investors’ confidence in the real estate sector. He said the GDA would play an effective role in protecting investment and promoting trust between builders and allottees.

The builders and developers raised issues related to land, the lack of basic infrastructure around some schemes, and security.

The DG GDA stressed that in schemes included in Phase One of the Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan and located near populated areas, where the GDA has already provided water, electricity, roads and other basic facilities, builders should complete the remaining development work on a priority basis. They should also give allottees formal possession of their plots and ensure basic facilities. He said people had invested here with trust, so protecting the interests of investors and allottees is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders.

The meeting decided that comprehensive information on all the housing schemes concerned would be provided by the next meeting. It will include the number of allottees, details of their payments, the current status of the land and the position on handing over plots. It was also agreed that meetings would be held from time to time to review these matters.

Photo: courtesy DGPR Balochistan