The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) has sent notices and imposed financial penalties on many of its residents for “violation” of its building control regulations by installing solar panels on their rooftops to generate electricity.
Though, the federal government is encouraging people to generate power through alternative energy sources to cut dependence on costly fuel.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif okayed a 10,000 MW solar energy project to reduce reliance on costly imported diesel, furnace oil and LNG for power generation. The PM had also removed the 17 per cent general sales tax on solar panels to encourage businesses and households to opt for solar energy.
However, there is growing unease among DHA residents at the authority’s decision to send them notices and impose fines for allegedly violating its construction laws by installing elevated steel structures for solar panels on their rooftops.
The residents are also surprised that the DHA, which itself allowed them to install solar panels, is now threatening to penalise them.
Authority asks house owners to either remove ‘the violation’ or get it regularised“It is quite a strange and unexpected development because there are so many houses in DHA with solar panels on their rooftops.
They were not questioned about this earlier encouraged. Now, they are expected to suddenly cough up refurbishment charges that may amount to hundreds of thousands of rupees,” said Rashid H. Ansari, a resident.
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