Punjab is moving forward with the establishment of a comprehensive digital real estate regulatory framework, with a consultative session held to deliberate on proposed reforms under the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act in the province. The session was jointly organized by the Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority and Lahore Development Authority, bringing together a broad cross-section of public and private sector stakeholders including academia, town planners, property developers, and real estate representatives, signaling a concerted push toward overhauling how the housing and property sector is governed across Punjab.
The session was attended by Senior Member Board of Revenue Nabeel Javed, Director General Punjab Electronic Land Records Authority (PELRA) Captain (Retired) Ikram-ul-Haq, and Director General Lahore Development Authority Taher Farooq, alongside officials from relevant departments. Addressing participants, Nabeel Javed stated that the Chief Minister had specifically tasked authorities with introducing wide-ranging reforms in the housing and real estate sector, and that after months of consultations with the private sector, a uniform regulatory system was now being developed for implementation across all districts of the province. The emphasis on broad stakeholder engagement before rollout points to an effort to ensure the framework is practical and enforceable rather than purely administrative in nature.
Under the proposed regulatory framework, all property transactions will be conducted through PELRA software and verified via a “green certificate” system, which is expected to serve as a digital proof of compliance for developers and housing schemes. Developers will be required to transition to the new digital system within one month of its introduction, while a dedicated facilitation cell is to be established to guide housing schemes and developers through the onboarding process. Officials also briefed participants on amendments to housing scheme rules, including plans to make the entire approval process fully paperless and digital. The new system will enable real-time monitoring of land availability, scheme plans, and on-ground development activities, addressing long-standing concerns around fraudulent plot sales and unauthorized housing schemes that have historically caused significant financial harm to buyers.
Authorities confirmed that a Housing Scheme Management System has already been developed to underpin the transition to a paperless regime, indicating that the groundwork for the shift is already in place. The framework aims to ensure transparency, streamline approvals, and introduce effective oversight across all districts of Punjab. The consultative session concluded with a question-and-answer segment in which officials addressed concerns raised by stakeholders, and was held at the Lahore Development Authority Sports Complex in Gulberg. The initiative builds on a series of earlier reform steps taken by the Punjab government, including the abolition of the paper-based housing society file system in Lahore and the linkage of all plot sales to verified location identification through PELRA, underscoring a broader provincial agenda to bring accountability and digital governance to Pakistan’s historically opaque real estate market.
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