Encroachment is Illegal – Ignorance of Law is No Excuse!

The Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced a massive anti-encroachment drive against land mafia and illegal encroachments across the province. The anti-encroachment drive is in full swing nowadays. Not just the Punjab Chief Minister, but the Prime Minister Imran Khan has also supported his approach and directed him to kick off the drive against encroachment at a large scale and the scroungers.

The news stirred confusion among general public, who were not well-aware about the encroachment, anti-encroachment laws and how to curb the menace. Let' s analyse the term deeply and how encroachment affects the real estate sector.

Land Grabbing

You may know and be aware of land grabbing, as it is a general practice here. Not just the individuals grab land illegally, but few developers have announced to develop residential societies on land that does not belong to them. The issue begins when the developer starts advertising his project and people start buying property, which does not exist.

Land Encroachment

Encroachment does not only mean to grab other' s land but it has other meaning as well. Encroached property means all the construction that does not fall under the construction bylaws of the city. It means closing all the open spaces required for ventilation purpose, not following the specified height of the structures and constructing the boundary wall the way you want, especially extending construction to include the government land and not taking LDA' s other construction bylaws into consideration.

Not just Lahore Development Authority (LDA) but all other development authorities and civic bodies have clearly specified construction guidelines, so you must go through these guidelines before starting construction of your property.

Using Land without Property Title

It may seem to be an ordinary thing but it is a terrible thing that you can do to original property owner. If you are using a property that originally belongs to another person, the case has to be registered with the police. After proceeding, the court will return the land to the original title owner.

Encroaching the Government Land

When a person uses (illegally occupies) the land that should be used by the government for its operation, it is called encroaching the government land. Otherwise, that land can be used by the government for an activity that can earn revenue for it.

For instance, you must have heard about people encroaching Pakistan Railways’ land which can also be used by the department for expanding the railway network or to provide accommodation to the government employees.

These all things come under encroachment so beware of committing any such thing due to which you will have to face serious charges.