Woman reclaims Bahria Town plot after four-year legal battle

ISLAMABAD: In a significant victory, an aggrieved woman has regained her plot in Bahria Town Islamabad after a four-year struggle, following its unjust cancellation over non-payment of additional development charges.

The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) had directed Bahria Town Islamabad to restore the plot of Ms Romana Bashir, who had been denied possession of her rightful property for over four years.

Ms Romana approached FOSPAH after her allotted 7-marla plot in Bahria Town was cancelled due to non-payment of approximately Rs157,000 in additional development charges.

Despite having paid the full cost of the plot and 50 per cent of the development charges, her repeated visits to the Bahria Town management yielded no results.

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Following a thorough review of the case, FOSPAH found that Bahria Town had failed to provide any notice or opportunity for a hearing before cancelling the plot—violating the complainant’s legal rights.

In its final order, the federal ombudsperson ruled: “The failure to pay a relatively minor amount in additional charges does not give the management the right to cancel the entire allotment without due process. Citizens must be given notice and an opportunity to be heard before any such punitive action.”

On the direction of Federal Ombudsperson Fauzia Viqar, Bahria Town has now allotted Ms Romana a new plot of equivalent value in a developed sector and issued her an official allotment letter.