Pakistan Property & Real Estate News

CDGK issued notice against conversion of amenity plot

Karachi: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued a notice to the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and restrained a builder from continuing to reserve apartments and shops on a petition against the conversion of an amenity plot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and subsequent construction of a building.

The petitioner, Ms Qamarun Nisa, had challenged the conversion of an amenity plot for commercial use, submitting to the SHC that the respondent builder had converted the status of amenity plot from a marriage hall to a commercial plot, and a multi-storeyed building called Saim Residency was being constructed near Waseem Bagh at 13-D-2 area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The petitioner prayed to the court to restrain the respondent from carrying out illegal construction and cancel the illegal conversion of amenity plot.

After preliminary hearing of the petition, the SHC’s division bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Safdar Bhutto, issued a notice to the CDGK and the builder, and also directed the Nazir to inspect the site and submit a report. The court also issued directions that no booking or allotment shall be made by the respondent till further order.

Petition against Pervez Musharraf: Sindh High Court directed respondents to file comments on the petition that sought action against former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, former Attorney General Malik Abdul Qayum and Sharifuddin Pirzada for committing conspiracy to subvert the Constitution.

CDA has done little to resolve Sector E-12 issue

Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has claimed a tremendous breakthrough when it signed a package deal with inhabitants of Soran and Bokra villages located in sectors I-11 and I-12 to settle what it termed one of the oldest land disputes with local people. However little has been done to resolve a similar issue in Sector E-12.

In Sector E-12, people were allotted residential plots way back in 1996 but the whole area is still under ‘adverse possession’.

According to sources, the whole area in the sector is not under possession of illegal occupants or squatters. However, they said, more and more people are quietly setting up shanties in the sector, which, with the passage of time, would turn into mud-houses or even ‘pakka’ houses.

For sectors I-11 and I-12, the CDA started the land acquisition process back in 1974 when the first ‘award’ was announced. However the process hit one stumbling block after another. The locals, usually referred to as ‘affectees’, continued to frustrate CDA’s efforts for taking physical possession of the land in these sectors by filing cases against the rehabilitation and dispensation of compensation announced by the CDA for acquiring land in these sectors.

Eventually the CDA gave up all efforts to take over physical possession of land in sectors I-11 and I-12 when Afghan refugees started arriving in the capital as a result of the US-sponsored ‘jehad’ in Afghanistan in 1979.

Soon a large ‘katchi abadi’ (shanty town) appeared in the area which served as one of the biggest Afghan refugee camps commonly known as ‘Afghan Basti.’ This ‘katchi abadi’ even undermined inhabitants of these villages as they overwhelmingly outnumbered them. On the other hand, Afghan refugees dashed all hopes of the CDA to take over possession of the area and start development activity.

The situation was particularly frustrating for people who had purchased plots in these sectors through public auction as well as ones who were allotted plots under various government schemes, including 850 employees of the CDA itself who were allotted residential plots in these sectors about 20 years ago. CDA employees were allotted residential plots in these sectors in 1979.

Then came a big opportunity for the CDA soon after the war against Al-Qaeda started in Afghanistan after the 9/11 incident in the US. As a result of which, Pakistan ordered all Afghan refugees to return to their homeland.

Refugees living in the ‘Afghan Basti’ of sectors I-11 and I-12 were also compelled to return to their country or at least shift to the newly set up camps close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, mainly in NWFP.

However the CDA faltered once again. Officials in the concerned directorates looked the other way instead of taking over possession of the land. They failed to take possession of the area when an opportunity knocked at their door after 20 years.

According to the recently signed package deal with ‘affectees,’ the CDA has agreed to allot 2,400 plots to inhabitants of village Soran, located in Sector I-11, and village Bokra, located in Sector I-12, in addition to cash compensation for the built up property.

While signing the deal, the CDA has set up a new precedent by allotting plots to ‘affectees’ in the same sector where land has been acquired from them. In the past, special sector(s) were reserved for ‘affectees’ of Islamabad. Most of the people from whom the CDA had acquired land were allotted plots in sectors I-14/2, I-14/3 and I-14/4 (I-14/1 is the Haj Complex).

According to the CDA chairman, who led the civic body’s side in the signing ceremony of the package deal, it was a welcome news for all those 2,500 persons who were allotted plots in Sector I-11. He conceded that both sectors, I-11 and I-12, remained under ‘adverse possession’ for almost four decades but said that as the future focus was mainly on the development of the sector, the CDA decided to resolve this issue amicably instead of remaining engaged in litigation with ‘affectees’.

He said that as a result of this deal the CDA would get 12,000 kanals of land for housing units by June 18, 2009. “In addition to this, over 300 commercial plots in Sector I-11, which were under ‘adverse possession,’ would also be available for auction. It would help the CDA in generating funds for the development of the sector,” CDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Khan said.

This could however not be ascertained as to how many plots have been auctioned and how many were allotted in sectors I-11 and I-12.

CDA Member Saeed-ur-Rehman, when contacted, told ‘The News’ that the main focus will be on development of the sector during the next financial year. “These two sectors, I-11 and I-12, will remain the centre of focus and adequate funds would be allocated to start and expeditiously complete development work in these two sectors,” he said.

Railways losing battle against encroachment mafia

Islamabad: The Pakistan Railways has failed to get its land vacated from the encroachment mafia.

Well-placed sources told ‘The News’ here on Thursday that the plan to utilise the railway land for commercial purposes after getting it vacated from the encroachment mafia has failed due to litigation.

The plan to this effect was chalked out by former federal minister for railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. The sitting minister for railways, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, also decided to continue with the plan. However the plan could not be materialised as the encroachment mafia not only utilised its political influence but also approached superior courts.

According to sources, the majority of encroachers occupied the railway land about 30 years ago and constructed houses and commercial centres on it.

Sources said that the litigation process is incurring further losses to the Pakistan Railways.

Talking to ‘The News,’ Pakistan Railways (Rawalpindi Division) Superintendent Jalaluddin said: “We are only implementing government orders. All plans are chalked out at the Pakistan Railways Headquarters in Lahore and Ministry of Railways in Islamabad. We are unaware of results of the operation against the encroachment mafia.”

He asked this scribe to contact the Ministry of Railways procurement director for his comments over the matter.

When ‘The News’ contacted the procurement director, he was not available for comments. His personal assistant said that the director was in a meeting and he was not sure when it would finish. “There is no other official to comment over the matter,” he added.

Public Auction Fails To Provide Spark For Dubai’s Real Estate Market

A first-ever public auction of residential properties in Dubai, seen as a barometer of the emirate’s property market, exposed a widening gulf between the expectations of the sellers and buyers. The four properties that went under the hammer this week failed to find any takers. Only one of the properties saw any bidding action. Another property received a single bid, but the auctioneer considered it too low. A seven-bedroom villa in Arabian Ranches and a 6,500 sq ft penthouse in Jumeirah Beach Residences received no bids at all. The failure of the event raised a larger question about the efficacy of using an auction as a method to sell properties, especially during these difficult times. Bidders came expecting to snap up properties on the cheap, but the sellers, who, according to organizers, are under no duress, were hoping for better valuations than the market price. As expected, the property auction drew more observers than bidders. Only nine people out of more than 100 who turned up actually registered to bid, with South Asians comprising the majority of the bidders. However, only three of these registered bidders were bold enough to raise their paddle to bid. Most of the onlookers were from the real estate industry itself, having gathered to 
gauge the mood.

The first property on the block, a three-bedroom villa in the Palmera 3 neighborhood of Arabian Ranches, received three bids. A young couple from China looking for their first home opened the bidding with Dh2 million, and a South Asian businessman quickly countered with an offer of Dh2.2 million. It took a long while for the auctioneer, Raymong Kuceli, Chief Executive Officer of Madania Real Estate, to coax the couple to raise their bid to Dh2.3 million. In the end, the South Asian businessman withdrew, and the couple chose not to raise their bid. The auctioneer called off the bidding, as the price did not meet the unannounced reserve price. The next property to go under the hammer was a villa with five bedrooms plus a study in the Al Mahra block at Arabian Ranches. It received an opening bid of Dh2.8 million, and none of the other eight bidders showed any interest. That auction too was cancelled. “Caution seems to be the word of the day,” said Siju Mathew, a real estate analyst at Al-Futtaim HC securities. “People are not sure whether prices will further go down from here. It seems everyone is having a wait-and-see approach.

The Chinese couple did not go beyond Dh780 sq ft even though the market price for similar properties is closer to Dh1,000. Another real estate broker, who wished to remain anonymous, praised Madania for introducing auction as a new marketing avenue for sellers. “The attendance was alright, but all the four properties were in the same range,” this broker said. “There was no variety. People are looking for studios and one-bedrooms. An upcoming auction of more than 50 properties by property brokerage Sherwoods on June 4 will test that hypothesis. However, Madania’s auction on Monday also proved that buyers are in no mood to distinguish between distressed and non-distressed properties. Every property in the market is now deemed distressed. When asked why he and his wife did not raise their bid to buy their dream home, the husband of the Chinese couple, Yiyi Lin, said: “I think that is the market price.

Indifference and corruption fast decaying Gwadar Mega City Project

KARACHI: Gwadar Mega City Project is tilting because of poor management and corruption, resulting in bankruptcy of several investors. Several investors have decided to withdraw their investment from the mega project to utilise it somewhere else, The Nation has learnt.

According to a survey conducted by The Nation, several businesses particularly, the real estate industry has collapsed as the housing schemes could not be continued after their launching. The business community termed it the result of the poor policies of the government.

Many people across the country, who were very excited after getting plots in different schemes of Gwadar city, now wish to sell their plots at throw-away prices, but nobody is ready to buy them.

The investors belonging to Karachi and other parts of the country told The Nation that they have been facing several problems since they invested in Gwadar, as they faced several great problems due to poor system of the documentation and other legal formalities.

While the local businessmen in Gwadar accused both the provincial, federal governments and the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) of indifference, saying that they were entirely responsible for the current crises in Gwadar was forcing investors to withdraw their investments.

“One plot or piece of land is being sold to several people through false documents, which are being prepared with the patronage of authorities concerned,” said locals.

The business community demanded that all the development works and the funds that were announced by the previous government must be utilised in proper way. Even the roads towards airport that links to the central city remained in poor condition. The business community concerned over decreasing value of the lands in Gwadar and crisis in the real estate business, as the lands were decreased around 70 percent. While taking to The Nation from Karachi, Naeem Khan who runs Real State Business in Gwadar said that the complicated formulates, poor management and poor system of the documentation process by the authorities concerned, caused hardships for the real state businessmen. Khan said that there are various investment opportunities in Gwadar, but unfortunately, the government does not wish to take any initiative for development. Several investors are not ready to come in Gwadar.

Whereas, those who invested had here, are facing several difficulties. And, finally they are withdrawing their investments from Gwadar.

He said that if the government is keen regarding success of Gwadar, so the present situation in Gwadar would be changed. He added that the city has several opportunities and charms for the investors, but they are not convinced due to the complicated proceedings of the documentation and corruption in the departments’ concerned.

Source: [The Nation]

TCP to set up rice export zone on 600 acres land

KARACHI - The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has agreed to convert 600 acres land, consisting on rice milling units and godowns at Pipri near Karachi, into “Rice Export Zone”.

Chairman TCP Saeed Ahmed Khan during his meeting with managing committee members of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) at REAP House on Tuesday accepted the offer of rice exporters body. REAP Chairman Rahim Janu, while welcoming the TCP Chairman, highlighted the importance of this food commodity in foreign exchange earnings as second largest sector in foreign trade and presented various issues being faced to rice exporters.

Rahim Janu said the machinery of 18 rice milling units and rice godowns spreading around 600 acres land in Pipri, suburb of Karachi, have turned into scraps while rice godowns also not in usable condition. On behalf of REAP, he offered all possible support to convert this area into “Rice Export Zone” and said rice exporters are ready either to buy this land on current market value or lease out them.

TCP Chairman said the tenders have been invited for repair and maintenance of the rice warehouses in Pipri that were not functional since long.

Millions of rupees are required to revamp these warehouses. He pointed out that TCP will dispose off these all 18 rice mill units at Pipri area as government has no intention to keep them.

He turned down the offer of REAP, saying the TCP will not sell the rice godowns while plan to lease out these godowns was under consideration. TCP Chairman welcomed the offer of REAP to convert 600 acres land into rice export zone.

He said the TCP was not the rival of rice exporters so they should have not any apprehension over the intervention of TCP and Passco in rice procurement. When output of rice or any other crops come in bumper than federal government intervenes to provide the actual price of their crops, he said.

Mizin To Link Payments With Building Progress

Mizin, the real estate development arm of Tatweer, is in talks with Dubai's Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) to link investor payments to construction milestones. Investors in the Remraan project voiced concerns that they continue to pay installments despite slow progress in construction. We are currently liaising with Rera to endorse our payment plans which are linked to construction milestones," said a spokesperson for Mizin. The scheme is expected to give investors a sigh of relief as some of them have already paid as much as 40 per cent of the property's purchase price. Early this year, regulators came out with a framework that disallows developers from collecting more than 30 per cent of the purchase price of a unit unless construction milestones are incorporated into the payment scheme. Regulations require developers to fully own the land where the property is to be built, possess the title deeds and have completed 20 per cent of construction before they can sell units off-plan.

As new requirements and laws have been introduced, we have adjusted our way of doing business in conjunction with Rera.The payments collected to date are within the law and construction has progressed," the company spokesperson said. Marwan Bin Galita, Chief Executive of Rera, said, "All projects should get approved payment plans. Over 200 investors in the Remraam project following other investor groups banded together to voice their issues. Confusion arose when a Mizin staff allegedly told some investors that phase three of the Remraan project was scrapped and a compensation scheme was being worked out. Mizin however, said that the project is going ahead as planned. All phases of Remraan are continuing. We are committed to fulfiling all of our commitments. We are working with a number of investors to help them through the current economic difficulties in cases of non-payment to Mizin," the spokesperson added. While Amlak and Tamweel had originally offered to finance the project, investors were told the financiers have stopped paying Mizin. Tamweel and Amlak are customers and we are not in a position to release information regarding our customers," said the spokesperson. The Remraan project in Dubailand is valued at around Dh200 billion.

CDA fails to remove encroachments along service road

Islamabad: It is almost over three months that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been unable to comply with a directive issued from the President’s Secretariat (Public) to take action against the encroachments that have sprawled over a vast tract along the Service Road (West) of sectors G-11 and F-11.

The residents of the two sectors, particularly those living along this ‘Service Road’ have been voicing their concern over this illegal occupation of the public land by the encroachers who have set up all sorts of businesses across the road in the green belt, causing not only extreme congestion, but have become a serious security concern as well.

Having failed to draw the attention of the concerned directorate in the CDA to take any meaningful action to uproot these encroachments or even to prevent any further expansion of these a group of residents approached the Presidency with their grievance and sought relief. On February 19, 2009, director (Administration) in the President’s Secretariat (Public) forwarded the petition filed by this group to the CDA chairman to look into the matter and ‘take appropriate action as per rules and government policy’ and intimate the petitioners as well as the President’s Secretariat (Public) about the action. However, over three months have passed and no action has been initiated by the authority on this appeal by the residents of the area. The residents complained that the ‘Enforcement Directorate’ of the CDA has been refusing to pay any attention to their complaints against these encroachments as a result a ‘rate race has been going on with full swing and the land mafia has built hundreds of structures, workshops, stores, shops, and kiosks along the road in the green area’.

They said that these encroachments have not only marred the beauty of the area, but have damaged the road as well that causes great hardships to the people travelling through this only available route to them.

They even alleged that all these encroachments are coming up in collusion with the CDA’s own staff who encourage and even provide protection these members of land mafia engaged in gobbling the public land. They said that as all these structures built illegally are constructed at a higher ground level than the road as a result of which water being used by these people occupying these structure is flowing directly onto the road, thus causing damage to the road surface on which big pitfalls and holes have appeared.

“The situation becomes particularly serious whenever there is rain, as most parts of this road gets submerged, at many places almost knee deep under the rain water, causing serious problems for the people travelling through this road. And it becomes even more discomforting after this water dries up, as it leaves a thick layer of fine mud on the road that rises in plumes of dust whenever a vehicle passes through and that happens almost incessantly throughout the day,” they complained.

They also said that as the slush caused after each rain pass through the drainage and sewage system laid by the authority, it gets chocked frequently as a result of which the manholes are overflowing quite frequently, polluting the environment and posing serious health hazards to the people living in the area. These residents have also complained that almost all the people who have encroached upon this public land are using power and water through illegal connections. “As a result of this people who have constructed homes in this area are often faced with water shortage and frequent power breakdowns because of short circuits in these illegal power connections. We, the tax payers, have been suffering at the hands of the illegal acts of these encroachers who, in the end, will be causing even greater problem to the CDA itself when the authority will try to regain the possession of this land occupied by these people,” they said.

When contacted, the CDA Director (Enforcement) Capt ® Faiz Mohammad, told ‘The News’ that the authority had conducted anti-encroachment operations against these illegal occupants of CDA’s acquired land in the past as well and a big action is being contemplated at the moment in coordination with the Islamabad administration and Islamabad Police. “We are well aware of these problems and its intensity. In the past whenever we launched an operation against these people our efforts were interrupted because of non-cooperation from the concerned government departments like the Islamabad administration and the Islamabad Police and at times the people with political influence came in the way,” the Director (Enforcement) told ‘The News’. However, he added, this time the authority is planning a major operation to remove these encroachments because these are all illegal occupations in violation of the CDA’s rules and the land is already acquired by the CDA, as such these people would have no claim for any sort of compensation.

He pointed out that this problem exists in the area since the last almost 14 years when these shops and stores were set up by the people who were supplying construction material to the people who were constructing their homes in these sectors.

“However, now when the development of the next sectors is about to start, we have to remove these encroachments and that would be done through a major anti-encroachment operation that is being planned in coordination with the ICT administration and the police,” he added.

Work on major housing projects halted

KARACHI: The construction work of all major residential projects has come to a halt, as the House Building Finance Company Limited (HBFCL) has almost frozen loan sanctioning for housing projects and individual owing to liquidity problems.

Insiders told Business Recorder on Monday that all operational activities, which were going on at rapid pace during the tenure of former chief executive of the corporation, Zaigham Mahmood Rizvi, had been stopped for last nine months, due to financial crisis and mismanagement.

They said that despite declaring the current year as "recovery year", the management has failed to produce positive results in this regard. The HBFCL has invested Rs 20 billion through different loan schemes, they said adding instead of earning profit through these schemes, the corporation is suffering huge losses owing to slow recovery operation, excess overheads and mismanagement.

To a question, they said the corporation has almost stopped sanctioning house-building loans to individuals and construction companies to cope with the situation. They said that all loan facilitation services initiated in past including mobile loan service, etc had been stopped because of over expenditures.

The sources said that HBFCL was targeting low and middle income groups for constructing, purchasing and renovation of houses, respectively and worked as housing bank for low and middle-income groups. They said that only 0.4 million houses were being constructed annually against the annual demand of 0.7 million houses to meet, what the government said, a shortage of 7.5 million houses across the country.

They feared that if HBFCL shutdown its operations, shortage of houses would considerably increase, which directly impact the raising ratio of poverty and encroachments, scattering across the country, they feared. Similar apprehensions were expressed by the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (Abad) in its letter sent recently to Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

According to the letter, Abad said that the freezing of capital has left many housing projects, which were at various stages of completion, in an uncertain situation. "The lack of loan disbursement has caused stoppage of construction activities; therefore the possession of residential units to allottees could not take place," it said.

The letter said the government failed in providing assistance to HBFCL as the loan disbursement in 2008 plummeted to some Rs 3 billion against the projected disbursement of Rs 9 billion for the year. However, during the current year, disbursement of loan is very meager, it noted. Abad has requested the government to play its due role and provide financial support to HBFCL to meet housing needs of the country.

The construction industry is playing vital role in the growth of the country's economy, supporting over forty allied industries and is the second largest jobs provider after the agriculture sector, the letter said. When contacted, a concerned official who did not want to be named, dispelled the perception that the company has stopped sanctioning loans.

He said that out of total 35 loan applications submitted by the members of Abad in last five months, majority of the applications has been approved. He said the members of Abad have expressed satisfaction over the performance of the company in a meeting with Azhar A Jafferi. MD HBFCL and added the company has so far disbursed around Rs 35 million loans during current year.

Kuwait real estate prices decline 50%: Tabtabaei

KUWAIT CITY, May 18, (KUNA): Prices of real-estate properties namely the housing units have fallen by 50 percent, the Commerce Undersecretary announced on Monday. Rashid Al-Tabtabaei, in a statement to journalists after inaugurating the 22nd Real-Estate and Investment Fair, indicated the prices of properties vary from region to another with regard of the location of the plot, nature of the region and the services available. Economic sectors, namely the real-estate, the finance, the tourism and the oil, in Kuwait and other countries, have been affected with fallouts of the international financial crisis, he said, indicating at the steps that have been taken by the local authorities to cope with these external negative effects. He expressed happiness that 50 companies are taking part in the fair.

Sheikh Malek Bader Al-Salman Al-Sabah, Board Chairman of Expor Group for Organization of Fairs and Conferences, that organized the exhibition in coordination with Kuwait International Fair Company, that the fair constituted an opportunity for choosing investment opportunities in this sector. Real-estate has remained a safe refuge for the investors in shadow of the fierce fluctuations witnessed in the local, regional and international finance markets, Sheikh Malek said. The property markets in various regional states and foreign countries witnessed grand corrections that brought conditions back to normal, he said, expressing his opinion that the real-estatemarkets were suitable for investments by the limited and medium income entrepreneurs. More than 100 real-estate projects from 15 states are promoted at the fair ground.

Also: DAMASCUS: Kuwaiti-Syrian Holding Company (KSHC) is set to announce, in May, a new set of projects in the fields of real estate and industry, to be executed in Syria. Chairman of the Board of Directors Mahmoud Abdul-Khaliq Al-Nuri revealed the plan to KUNA on the sidelines of his participation at the Gulf Investment Forum in Syria, which is held by the Syrian Investment Agency, which kicked off Sunday night. Al-Nuri said this forum is of great significance and that the level of Syrian representation at the inauguration reflected the state’s keenness on clarifying regulations and issues to Gulf investors. The event was inaugurated in presence of the Syrian Prime Minister. On the global financial crisis, he said there is no safe haven, adding the only option is to conduct thorough feasibility studies and analyze market conditions before any venture and match effort to opportunity.

Back to the new projects announcement, he said one project involves an industrial company in which the company is to acquire a 40 percent stake. Other commercial and industrial projects are still under review, he added. Al-Nuri remarked the company’s seven-year experience in Syria indicates a promising atmosphere of great potential based on two pillars; an abundance of diverse opportunities of all scales, and adequate and matching political will and awareness.

The Kuwaiti-Syrian Hold-ing Company was established by Al-Kharafi group in 2002 at a capital of over $100 million.

The Syrian leadership had called upon Gulf investors to consider the many opportunities in Syria during the inauguration of the forum.

Developers look to North Africa for real estate opportunities

Major property developers are looking to North Africa as a key emerging real estate market as it is largely unhindered by the global crisis and offers potential that can't be found elsewhere, it is claimed.

Countries like Libya, once shunned by western nations and subject to sanctions, are now seen as full of investment potential. Dubai property developer Deyaar is looking at a number of options in North Africa and Maltese and Kuwaiti owned luxury developer Mediterranean Investments Holdings is about to complete its first development in Libya.

'The mature countries are not good for us. We need underdeveloped and developing countries to invest in,' said Markus Giebel, Deyaar chief executive.

Libya has been experiencing unprecedented growth for the last year or so, according to Reuben Xuereb, executive director of MIH, which is owned by Cornthia Group and the National Real Estate Company of Kuwait.

'The Libyan government's initiatives to open up to the world and welcome foreign companies to do business in Libya has propelled a widespread boom in construction, infrastructure, health care, education and a myriad of other areas in which it is investing and working with international companies to deliver,' he said.

MIH is working on a number of projects in the North African country and its first completed development, Palm City, launches in the next few weeks. 'Libya has enormous potential given its location, history, coastline and geographic topography. The vast stretches of virgin beaches, the Roman and Greek ruins, mountains and desert are some of the unique attractions. Tripoli is now included as part of the Mediterranean cruises circuit,' he added.

The future for companies like MIH includes hotels, residential developments and commercial projects in North Africa. 'Our strategy is to invest and to launch projects that address the needs of the particular country,' Xuereb said. Palm City, a self contained residential village aimed at the expat community, was conceived years ago when Libya was still under sanctions.

Announcements for Deyaar are expected soon. 'We have been negotiating in five different countries,' confirmed Giebel.

Middle East developer Arabtec is also looking at potential in Libya and Algeria. And Abu Dhabi based Al Maabar International Investments has broken ground on a $750 million development in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

Kuwait based North Africa Holding Company is also expanding into North Africa. It has announced a new partnership deal with the promoters and developers of the €170 million Assoufid luxury residential, hotel and golf project in Marrakech.

Residents demand repair of Asghar Mall Road

Rawalpindi: Residents of various areas of Asghar Mall Road have urged the district administration to take immediate measures to repair the dilapidated roads causing hardships for them.

A visit of this scribe to the populous areas revealed that the residents of these localities are facing serious problems owing to the broken roads at various places, as the authorities concerned are reluctant to pay heed to the matter of public concern.

The road has been broken at various places for installation of water pipelines but it has not been repaired despite the passing of one year. The local residents said that a year back, the road was dug up for the installation of new water pipelines but since then, the authorities have not paid any heed towards its repair.

The digging of the roads has also damaged the drainage system at some places where stagnant drainage water is causing serious problems for the residents. The residents further said that they have been trying to convey their concerns to high officials but still not a single step has been taken to address the problem.

Meanwhile, residents of E-Block, Satellite Town have also complained of the problems they are facing due to the faulty drainage system, urging the authorities concerned to take immediate measures to redress the issue. They said the dirty water comes out of the drains, causing atmospheric pollution all around.

Land-grabbers take over Aligarh Society

Karachi: The future of thousands of residents of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Co-operative Housing Society is at stake as powerful groups of land-grabbers are allegedly trying to occupy the 233-acre piece of land by any possible means. The society is situated in Gadap Town and falls under Scheme 33.

Groups of land-grabbers are trying to establish “Goths” in each sector of the society to establish encroachments on vacant plots. They are using the flags and slogans of the ruling party. The land-grabbers have also set up makeshift offices and houses in five different sectors of the society, The News has learnt.

Ironically, these Goths are being named after former prime minister and slain leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto, and President of Pakistan (and PPP Co-Chairman) Asif Ali Zardari. Likewise, hoardings of ‘Goth Ali Muhammad Shiekh’ can be easily spotted during a visit to Sector 7A, victims told The News.

Despite the fact that a court recently ordered the Mukhtiarkar to remove encroachments in the area, armed land-grabbers still possess property belonging to others, they added.

Every attempt to construct protective boundary walls in all sectors have failed, as the armed wings of the mafia demolish even under-construction walls, residents of Aligarh Society said.

The society was established in 1968, and is spread over four to five kilometres of Ashanabad and Gulshan-e-Maymar. The society had clearance in 1984 from both, the Board of Revenue (BoR) and the (now-defunct) Karachi Development Authority (KDA). Sectors 5A, 5B, 7A, 7B, 9A1 and 9A2 comprise plots measuring 200-, 400- and 600-square-feet respectively.

Representatives of 1,530 allottees of the society told The News that they were planning a protest rally in the next few days. “Almost 200 to 300 vehicles will take to the roads and move towards the offices of the Town Police Officer, the Chief Minister House and the Governor House to lodge a protest against land-grabbers and the non-cooperative behaviour of the authorities concerned,” they added.

Although the society has hired approximately 100 armed guards, society members believe that they will not be secure unless they have the support of the local police.

The victims claim that land-grabbers bulldozed the boundary walls of several houses as well as empty plots, and now armed people sit on the property to keep genuine owners at bay. The retired servicemen and civil servants who live in the society approached their sources in order to get back the property but failed, the group of affected people said.

Locals have invested a heavy amount to install internal connections of water, sewerage and gas supply. They also bore the expenditure to build carpeted roads. The construction of the Northern Bypass and the highway to the North Karachi corridor has increased the value of the society, locals said. They believed that all these developments had attracted the land mafia and owing to the negligence of the local police, they established their roots in the area.

Society residents have urged government officials to pay attention towards their grievances and use an iron fist to handle land mafia groups operating in the society.

Criticising the role of local police, and especially the Superintendent of Police (SP) Rao Anwar, the victims say that the police did not take any action against the offenders. SP Anwar said, however, that only one complaint had been received. The complainant was told to come back after May 12 to discuss the matter, he said, adding that the person did not visit again.

“Unfortunately, everyone comes up with documents, and we are unable to ensure that they are genuine and not fake. It can take time to decide the real owner,” SP Anwar said, adding however, that the police will “kick out fraudsters from the area, with the help of the victims.”

Scheme 33's Saadi Town residents lack basic facilities

KARACHI: Residents of Saadi Town, situated in Scheme 33, are living in utter despair and hopelessness in the absence of basic facilities despite paying dues regularly.

The project was launched by Pak Land Housing Project 28 years ago, but the developers have not been able to provide committed facilities to the residents.

All Pakistan Property Purchaser Welfare Association Chairman Rashid Ali Khan told The News “there are seven blocks in Saadi Town and 4,327 plots. Of these, houses have been constructed on some 1,100 plots, but the occupants face a dearth of civic amenities.”

The management has imposed a self-made system of taxes, which are much higher when compared with other schemes. The management had vowed to complete various projects for supply of electricity, gas, water and transport as well as construction of hospitals and schools, but these are yet to be implemented.

“In spite of paying heavy taxes, the management of Saadi Town has not provided even basic facilities like proper electricity, water and gas,” Rashid said, adding “a double fee of Rs14,000 per plot was being collected for providing gas connection from Sui Southern Gas Company, which should be Rs7,000.”

The residents of the town are compelled to pay taxes to the management. Though there is electricity in the town, most of the residents have taken illegal connections. As there is no boundary wall, incidences of theft and robbery are common in the area.

Saadi Town is situated in the limits of Malir Cantonment, so plot purchasers have to pay transfer fee to both Malir Cantonment and Pak Land Housing Project. Rashid said the residents of the scheme were from the middle or lower income groups, who are not able to raise their concerns on a proper platform.

Despite repeated attempts to contact, officials of Pak Land Housing Project were not available for comments.

Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) Chairman Babar Mirza Chughtai, who is also chairman of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s standing committee on housing and construction, said “we are only concerned with the housing schemes whose management is a member of ABAD.”

He said ABAD could not take action on its own as it had no authority and also the FPCCI could only facilitate builders or housing schemes.

However, officials of ABAD did admit that a number of cases of deception were being reported in Scheme 33, Gulshan-e-Maymar and Ahsanabad, where cases of dual or triple ownership were found for a single plot.

Rashid disclosed numerous illegal housing schemes in Scheme 33 were successfully running media campaigns on local cable networks. “Since these builders do not have No objection Certificate (NOC) for advertisement, original map and sales from the government, they advertise on local cable networks from where they get potential buyers and exploit simple people by offering attractive schemes.

Benazir Bhutto Road becomes centre of problems

Rawalpindi: Benazir Bhutto Road, the busiest road in Rawalpindi and used by thousands of people daily, now becoming centre of many problems, including daily accidents, traffic mess, lack of parking space for vehicles and growing encroachments.

Like other roads of the city, the flow of traffic on Murree Road has become a nightmare for the commuters as many traffic signals are also out of order or not coordinated to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

From Marir Chowk to Faizabad the road presents a look of car showroom as thousands of vehicles can be seen not running but crawling on the road.

On the other hand when motorists find some space on the road they try to gear-up their vehicles and on many occasions the practice resulted in fatal accidents, as, if, any pedestrian crossing the road suddenly struck the speedy car.

Unmanaged Murree Road claims many lives on monthly basis, due to the negligence of the concerned authorities and drivers, particularly the drivers of the public transport remain in some sort of hurry all the time, and their this practice on a number of times resulted in unwanted accidents.

While Committee Chowk Underpass has been constructed with a hefty amount of Rs 32 million, but at presents the upper part of the road alongwith the underpass is being used as car parking by the shopkeepers and others.

The newly constituted City Traffic Police has tried its best to enforce the motorists to observe strictly the traffic laws, but they turned their ears deaf.

Similarly quarter part of the Murree Road have been occupied by the shopkeepers for different purposes like parking of their cars, displaying of their items and some part of the road is being utilized by the hand-cart pushers.

The flow of traffic at Committee Chowk on Murree road remains jammed for most part of the day, particularly from morning to late evening hours; during these timings it becomes most difficult for pedestrians to cross the road.

Although the Traffic Police have closed many crossing points on the roads in order to maintain smooth flow of the traffic, but it is not working good as the blockades of the crossing points had increased the problems.

DHA residents request city Nazim to increase water supply to DHA

Karachi: Association of Defence Residents (ADR) will request city Nazim Mustafa Kamal to increase water supply to Defence Housing Authority, said ADR General Secretary Asad Kizilbash while talking to PPI on Thursday.

“We will Kamal to supply 16 million gallon of water per day to Defence Housing Authority (DHA) from Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to overcome the acute shortage of water and defeat tankers mafia in Defence,” he said.

Kizilbash said that the KWSB is not supplying the required amount of water, nine million gallons per day (MGD), to the DHA according to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it signed with the DHA. ‘’The KWSB is hardly providing 7.3 to 7.4 MGD to the DHA against nine MGD water.

‘’The DHA does not come under the city Nazim, which is a problem, but we are also citizens of Karachi,” he said. ”I have also met Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar in connection with increasing water supply to DHA,” he said. “The DHA’s water requirement was 12 MGD around three years ago, but this has increased to 16 MGD, specially with the development of Phase VIII. The KWSB is only providing nine MGDs and we were acquiring three MGDs from the COGEN.”

‘’As far as alternate sources are concerned we are still thinking to stretch a direct water pipeline from Pipri but that is a long process, he said.

Kizilbash said that due to acute water shortage the residents are heavily dependent on commercial water tankers that are quite expensive. The official water tankers supply which is one MGD was under the jurisdiction of the DHA in the past but now it has been handed over to the Cantonment Board, he said.

“We don’t have executive power to stop supply of water through commercialized water tankers,” he said. He added that DHA water committee keep a vigil on the shortage of water and tankers mafia, but it was difficult to put a figure on how much water is supplied to the DHA by commercialized tankers.

F-9 park’s timely completion ordered

Islamabad: ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) is committed to providing the best recreational facilities to the city residents, said CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan on Thursday. According to a press statement, he was addressing a ceremony held at the CDA Headquarters to brief him on the master plan of F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park. He directed the park project director to accelerate the pace of work, saying its timely completion would be a source of modern recreation for the visitors. Besides major parks in the city, the authority has also initiated a plan to upgrade small parks in line with modern recreational facilities for the citizens, Khan said. Noted architect Nayyar Ali Dada, whose firm is working on the master plan of F-9 Park, briefed the CDA chairman, saying the project would be completed in different phases. Dada said the master plan of F-9 Park had been divided into sports, culture, amusement and thematic garden zones. staff report.

F-9 park’s timely completion ordered

Islamabad: ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) is committed to providing the best recreational facilities to the city residents, said CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan on Thursday. According to a press statement, he was addressing a ceremony held at the CDA Headquarters to brief him on the master plan of F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park. He directed the park project director to accelerate the pace of work, saying its timely completion would be a source of modern recreation for the visitors. Besides major parks in the city, the authority has also initiated a plan to upgrade small parks in line with modern recreational facilities for the citizens, Khan said. Noted architect Nayyar Ali Dada, whose firm is working on the master plan of F-9 Park, briefed the CDA chairman, saying the project would be completed in different phases. Dada said the master plan of F-9 Park had been divided into sports, culture, amusement and thematic garden zones. staff report.

Residents along Lahore-Kasur Road face problems

Lahore: Thousand of residents of various colonies along the newly-constructed Lahore-Kasur road are facing serious difficulties as contractor has not given them access to their homes.

Big private residential colonies and several influential people have managed to get access through road cuts linking the inner roads or business premises with the main road while those without connections are running from pillar to post. Residents of various localities have said the issue to link streets with the main road cropped up after the present government directed contractors to construct a rain water drain along the road. They said following the government’s direction, the project contractor constructed a rain water drain and covered it.

Residents claimed that the drain had cut off various localities such as Saroba Garden from the main road due to which residents of these localities are facing serious problem in reaching their homes. Majority of people are forced to use alternate routes which was burdening them financially as well as resulting in waste of time.

Auctioning of Railways’ land leased to college stayed

Rawalpindi: Justice Tariq Shamim of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Wednesday stopped Pakistan Railways from auctioning a piece of land leased out for the construction of a degree college of women and directed the department to submit its comments till June 8.

The LHC bench while admitting the petition of former federal minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed directed the Railways authorities not to sell the land in the auction till the final disposal of the petition.

Law officer of Pakistan Railways told the court that the lease of the land was based on a letter issued by divisional superintendent and the letter would be canceled by the department.

The petitioner, however, contended that the lease was granted by the Railways board in a meeting of its executive body meeting in Lahore 2007.

Nominating Pakistan Railways, its director lands and Ministry of Housing and Works as respondents former MNA through his legal counsel Muhammad Ilyas Sheikh has challenged the decision of executive committee of Railway board to auction the piece of land near old Railway Police Station in Saddar.

In another case Justice Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqi decided to take up the petitions of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Rawalpindi-Islamabad Chapter against Ministry of Health and National Institute of Health (NIH) and an application of the health ministry on May 12.

The PMA has moved a contempt of court petition against the ministry for procuring different kinds of vaccines without properly advertising the demand despite the fact that they had assured the court to follow the procurement rules while buying the vaccines.

The ministry has moved an application seeking transfer of the case to the Islamabad High Court as the LHC lacked the jurisdiction to decide the matter.

Seven Tides Unwavering About Hotel Developments In Dubai

Seven Tides, a UAE-based holding company, and associates yesterday said, they will unveil four new luxury hospitality developments all due to open between the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 in Dubai - two of which are on the iconic Palm Jumeirah. Michael Scully, Managing Director Hospitality for Seven Tides, told Gulf News: "The combined value of these projects is well in excess of Dh1.5 billion. The company, he said, was formed five years ago by a group of UAE investors. We have a commitment to develop residential, commercial and leisure projects in Dubai and we are committed to deliver the ongoing projects in time. The company is financing the projects from its own resources. These five-star developments are multi-use and have been designed for sophisticated lifestyles, whether it's business or leisure. However we will create a fun environment and it is that combination that underpins our unique proposition. They also mark the arrival of a new name in the hospitality sector - Seven Tides which remains committed to its development plans despite the global economic climate.

The company is planning future hotel developments in Dubai as well as acquiring hotels worldwide. It is showcasing all four projects at the Arabian Travel Market - Royal Amwaj and Oceana on Palm Jumeirah, Ibn Battuta Gate and Movenpick Deira. Established in 2004, Seven Tides, which also owns Dukes Hotel in London, has partnered with international hospitality brands including Anantara, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts and Campbell Gray Hotels as its growth continues. Two of the four new developments Seven Tides is opening in late 2009-early 2010 are on the Palm Jumeirah. The Mövenpick-managed Royal Amwaj (amwaj means wave in Arabic) luxury resort and spa on the Palm crescent is Seven Tides' flagship property and will feature 293 hotel rooms and more than 400 condominium apartments.

The Royal Amwaj will offer a variety of culinary delights including South American, Thai, seafood and Asian cuisine. The resort will also feature two natural lagoons, a large swimming pool, tennis courts, Asian spa, water sports club as well as business and banquet facilities. Oceana, meanwhile, will be a beachfront hotel centrally located on Palm Jumeirah's trunk. This private residential community will offer beach access and panoramic views to its in-house guests. In terms of a corporate flagship property, Ibn Battuta Gate features an iconic entrance arch which is larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Located next to Ibn Battuta Mall, the property will be managed by Mövenpick, offering a combination of offices, apartments and a five-star hotel and spa. All four developments, in addition to the Dukes Hotels in St James, London, are managed by Campbell Gray Hotels.

Pace Of Decline In Dubai Apartment Rents Slows

The pace of decline in apartment rents in some sought-after areas of Dubai has slowed during March-April after recording steep falls in the beginning of the year, a research study by Khaleej Times and Asteco, a property management firm, reveals. The research finding, which was used to create the KT-Asteco Rental Monitor, suggests that while rents have dropped across the board from March to April, the average fall was in single-digits only, signalling that a probable market stabilisation trend may be around the corner. The findings suggest that rents haven’t changed significantly over the past month. The trend signals that rents are likely to stabilise in the coming months. Still, the possibility of further drops during the summer cannot be ruled out. In most cases, demand has been sparked by relocation needs and not by new tenants. Tenants sought to relocate or downgrade to more affordable residential units in a cost-saving initiative. This has created increased demand for studios and one-bedroom units. Apart from affordability, accessibility, and travel time are the other factors that drove demand. The research also reveals that demand for units in Discovery Gardens rose due to relative affordability and location advantage.

Another interesting finding is the flexibility shown by the landlords of accepting payment in 12 cheques. Most tenants, according to the research, prefer to renegotiate their contract or relocate within the same area to save moving costs. Most landlords also preferred to renegotiate, as they did not want to keep their property vacant for long time. Demand for studio apartments and one-bedroom units in International City, Discovery Gardens and Deira continued to remain high as people started downgrading residential status as a precautionary and cost saving measure. The average rent for a studio in International City is Dh32,000, down Dh3,000 from the rate prevailing in March. A two-bedroom apartment in JLT and newer developments in Dubai Marina including Manchester Towers, Marina Diamond dropped from a range of Dh75,000-95,000 to Dh70,000-90,000. In both cases, the fall has been less significant during the March-April period compared to the previous months. Rents for studio apartments in premium locations of Dubai such as Marina Promenade, Downtown Burj Dubai, Palm Jumeirah and World Trade Centre Residences have dropped by 8 to 14 per cent.

Model Town Society to expand outer ring road

LAHORE: The Model Town Society (MTS) will expand the outer ring road and its linking roads to facilitate the commuters who suffer from traffic jams, especially during peak hours.

The decision was taken as the number of vehicles present on the society’s roads dramatically increased after a large superstore was launched in the area. The town officials said more than 30,000 vehicles passed through the society, adding that the store caused an additional burden of about 10,000 vehicles. The traffic problems and the number of vehicles was also increased due to the increase in the number of visitors using the locality as a shortcut to Township, Faisal Town, Green Town and other nearby areas. The administration will spend about Rs 70 million on the project, which will start within a few weeks. The road would be expanded to 27 feet wide (an additional 7 feet).

The administration also plans to ban all forms of rickshaws and loader vehicles from entering the area and start a shuttle service to pick/drop locals to their desired destinations. This project is aimed at keeping outsiders out of the society. MTS President Colonel ® Tahir Kardar said the decision of expanding the road and restricting the entry was taken on the residents’ demand, adding that several complaints had been lodged over the increasing traffic jams. He said there were 4,000 registered members of the society. He said the presence of thousands of vehicles not only created traffic issues but also caused noise and air pollution. “The noise and air pollution get drastically increased by traffic jams. The commuters constantly honk their horns and emit several pollutants in the air,” Kardar concluded.

CDA razes 18 illegal houses, 3 rooms

ISLAMABAD: CDA has demolished 18 illegal houses, three rooms and two boundary walls in various sectors of the city during an ongoing anti-encroachment drive. CDA Director, Enforcement, Capt ® Faiz Muhammad told this news agency that 10 house and two rooms in Sector I-11, eight houses in sector G-8/1 and one room in Sector G-8/4 were razed during the drive. The director said the authority had issued notices and challans to 11 persons for carrying out illegal construction along a local highway. He said the CDA also seized three trucks loaded with goods while operating in Jinnah Super Market, G-10 Markaz, F-10 Markaz and Sector F-8/2.

Argentina drawing in property investors

The 1,500 acre estate has been developed by best-selling author and investor Doug Casey, who has travelled to over 170 countries and lived in ten, discovering Cafayate in 2005. Last year Mr Casey, alongside local Juan Romero, launched the first phase of real estate development, with the second phase now well under way.

Mr Casey said: "Argentina will do better than most countries simply because it has no real estate debt.

"And its economy is closely linked to agriculture, which I think will be good. In the US I've lived in Aspen. To me Cafayate has the potential to be another Aspen. It may not have skiing, but it has the wine culture, a spectacular climate, and wide open spaces."

The new home sites border an 18-hole golf course designed by former Jack Nicklaus head designer Bob Cupp, and is located among 200 hectares of working vineyards. All home site purchases include membership for owners and their families to the Vintners’ Club, as well as access to the onsite golf course, spa, equestrian centre and wine club.

Mr Casey said Cafayate is the perfect place to “make the most of personal freedom and financial opportunity”, and that it's "culture…sophistication…low costs and….exceptional value" make it the ideal investment destination.