The Model Town Society (MTS)’s residents have strongly denounced the recently approved increase in the height and area occupied by an under-construction wholesale goods store in the locality, terming it an environmental hazard and permanent nuisance for the residents, Daily Times learnt on Tuesday.
The residents have also alleged that the administration is providing additional business opportunities to the owners by increasing its space without any additional charges.
The controversy sparked during the MTS annual general meeting on Sunday when the administration tabled the proposal for the extension of the store. The extension plan included an increase in the height of the building by 10-feet and the construction of more shops, a bank, a playland for children and a restaurant on the premises. The meeting formally approved the extension amid strong objections by the Model Town Residents Association (MTRA), which claim that the MTS administrators did not even allow them to object. Alleging that the MTS passed the proposal by violating the rules of procedure. MTRA President Amir Azam said that the approval of the increase in the height of the building and the addition of more offices and commercial outlets in it was an infringement on the rights of the MTS members.
He said that the administration unduly favoured the storeowners by providing them extra business opportunities with the same amount of taxes that had been agreed upon in the initial contract.
“The society is strong enough to build a new playland, a restaurant and commercial offices. However, the administrators have provided the storeowners with an additional favour by providing them the extra space without thinking about the nuisance it would cause for the residents due to increased public activity in the society,” Amir said, adding that by doing so, without increasing the taxes taken from the owners, showed the administration’s insincerity to it’s residents.
Amir said that the residents had been holding meetings over the issue and they had considered going to court to halt the construction but they were waiting for the MTS officials to release the meeting minutes.
He added that the MTRA was a strong association of the MTS’ residents, which had been operating since 2002, and it had hundreds of members who knew how to fight for their rights.
Violation: However, MTS President Col (r) Tahir Kardar said that the society had not violated any rules of procedure and allowed all of the members sitting in the meeting to speak freely. He said that extension to the height and capacity of the wholesale goods store had been done for the residents’ benefit, to provide them with additional facilities under one roof.
Parking: Kardar said that the previously planned parking space had been inadequate to cater to the needs of the residents, adding that it would have caused a lot of problems for the MTS’ residents had there been cars parked on the main road due to the lack of parking space. He added that the parking capacity had been increased from 100 to 450 cars under the extension plan, and the 10-feet height increase would also allow trucks to unload their supplies.
Kardar added that the society would collect an amount of Rs 40,000 per kanal from the storeowners every year in addition to other profits.The wholesale goods store has been built on 80,000 square feet on the Link Road, opposite G-Block.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=200893\story_3-9-2008_pg7_31
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