The Rawalpindi Development Authority moved to seal the site office of the unauthorised Anchorage Islamabad Phase II project and halted its inaugural ceremony following directives from the Commissioner Rawalpindi and DG RDA, Engineer Aamer Khattak. The action was carried out by the MP&TE directorate after evidence of illegal booking, unauthorised advertising and development activity at Mouza Thalian in Rawalpindi district.
Show cause notices were served on the scheme director and a marketing firm identified as Skyways Marketing Xpress Marketing Pvt Ltd for promoting the unapproved scheme on social media and other platforms. RDA officers also removed billboards and stopped construction work that had begun before any formal approval was granted.
RDA emphasised that under Section 34 of the Punjab Development of Cities Act 1976 such offences are cognisable and carry penalties including imprisonment of up to three years or fines of up to 10,000 per day, with additional daily penalties possible after conviction. The authority noted that depending on the size of a scheme, daily penalties may range from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000 per day.
The DG RDA warned the public not to invest in Anchorage Islamabad or similar unapproved housing schemes and urged prospective buyers to verify approvals before making payments. Sponsors and marketers of the scheme were told to immediately stop all promotional activity and to approach RDA to obtain the required NOC and approvals under law, failing which strict legal action will follow.
To address the false claims circulating online that the developers had RDA approval, the authority said it has written to NAB Rawalpindi, FIA Islamabad, Cyber Crime Islamabad and SNGPL to alert them to illegal advertisements on social media, WhatsApp, YouTube and other internet platforms. The DG has directed MP&TE to continue strict enforcement against unauthorised housing schemes, booking offices and encroachments without fear or favour.
RDA reiterated that actions against Anchorage Islamabad and similar projects aim to protect citizens from fraud and unlawful developments, and reiterated its call for vigilance by buyers and swift compliance by scheme sponsors with regulatory requirements.
