Punjab shows path

PUNJAB has excelled in almost every sphere of life due to dynamic policies and their vigilant implementation under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and it has, once again, shown the path to other provinces by updating rules for housing societies in a comprehensive manner. It has approved sweeping amendments to the Punjab Private Housing Schemes Rules, 2022, marking a major regulatory overhaul of private real estate development in the province. The reforms aimed at improving transparency, strengthening planning controls, protecting buyers and curbing unregulated housing growth across the province, including major urban centres can serve as a role model if enforced in letter and spirit. The proposed reforms in the working of the private housing schemes were overdue in view of mushroom growth of housing schemes and the need to safeguard interests of the people. Real estate has been a flourishing business attracting buyers and citizens equally but the working of the housing societies and sponsors of countless ‘towns’ and ‘enclaves’ was not transparent and there have been complaints of massive frauds with serious consequences for life-savings of the unsuspecting people. In fact, rules and regulations were there but these have never been enforced in the desired manner and the regulating agencies including civic bodies of different cities and towns confined themselves to issuing warnings to people about illegal societies and schemes. In this backdrop, the Punjab Government deserves credit for framing rules that take care of almost all critical aspects. Apart from full digitization of the approval process, the reforms envisage a new classification system for housing schemes, dividing them into four categories: schemes under 100 kanals, farm housing (minimum 100 kanals), apartment schemes (minimum 25 kanals) and low-cost housing schemes. The minimum limit of 100 kanals will hopefully encourage establishment of smart housing schemes with proper roads, streets and