The tale of Punjab’s illicit housing projects is one of theft, corruption, and greed. Prominent participants in these recurrent frauds are wealthy real estate developers purportedly supported by dishonest legislators and assisted by a dishonest bureaucracy. Middle-class people who want a permanent roof over their heads are the victims. Nevertheless, tens of thousands have lost billions of hard-earned rupees collectively, instead of realizing their dream of owning a home. According to a report the Punjab Planning & Development Department filed with the Supreme Court, more than 1,100 private housing projects in 11 different districts of the province are unconstitutional due to a lack of necessary permission from relevant authorities. Stated differently, the promoters of these scams are prohibited from publicizing their “projects” that sell plots to gullible people. The majority of these schemes only exist on paper; in reality, land for the housing society is only acquired through the sale of imaginary plots. It is falsely claimed that the necessary regulatory approval has been obtained in order to deceive potential buyers. There isn’t a system in place or a desire to stop them.
It’s interesting to note that, with the assistance of dishonest officials, the sponsors of the majority of schemes even obtain power connections from distribution companies. In addition to depriving common people of their savings, real estate developers’ avarice is destroying vast tracts of productive farmland and orchards outside of cities, which is leading to unplanned urban growth atIs the government planning to take action to stop the people behind these fraudulent projects, I wonder? We have witnessed promised action against these schemes collapse even before it begins, for obvious reasons. If nothing is done, preparing these reports is a waste of time, money, and effort.
