Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed relevant authorities to accelerate efforts for the lawful regularisation of illegal housing societies across the province, with a one-time amnesty also under consideration for qualifying projects.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review proposals for addressing the issue of unauthorised residential schemes, the CM stressed the need for swift and transparent action to protect citizens from exploitation and bring unregulated real estate activity under the law.
“Schemes that have already been developed should be regularised in accordance with legal procedures so that the public may be protected from further hardship,” she stated, adding that the interests of common citizens must take precedence.
The CM criticised government departments for their failure to control the spread of illegal housing developments. “These schemes were established in collusion with officials of the concerned departments. Regulatory bodies remained silent, yet it’s the people who paid the price — money was taken from them, but they never got possession of their plots,” she remarked.
To bring order and efficiency to the sector, Maryam Nawaz approved the formation of a high-level committee to oversee the regularisation process and also ordered the digitisation of the housing sector for the first time in Punjab. The initiative includes the creation of a comprehensive digital housing society management system.
Under the new digital framework, processes such as scheme approval, administration, and property transfers will be fully online. No Objection Certificate (NOC) fees will also be paid digitally, with document submission moved entirely to an online portal. The CM also called for abolishing unnecessary NOCs that delay the registration of housing societies.
Officials briefed the CM that Punjab currently has 7,905 housing societies spread across around 2 million kanals of land. Of these, 2,687 are approved, while 5,118 are either illegal or under review. Within Lahore Development Authority (LDA) jurisdictions, out of 707 societies, 427 are approved, 206 are illegal, and 74 are being processed.
The CM emphasised that the new regulatory structure must be rule-based, transparent, and designed to prevent future misuse. The proposed one-time amnesty would allow specific societies that meet defined criteria to be brought into the legal fold, providing relief to both developers and affected residents.
Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market’s most promising opportunities.
