ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman Usman Bajwa on Wednesday directed members Estate, Planning and Engineering to resolve the Kuri Model Village issue.

Sources said that during a meeting, the chairman was apprised that so far 60 allotees of CDA’s Park Enclave scheme could not get the possession of plots because of unsettled built-up-property cases. The sources said that the chairman directed the members to resolve the issue on priority basis. He also discussed the plan of Kuri and Jagyot villages, where CDA has over 5,000 planned residential plots.

During the meeting, the chairman was briefed that after settling the Kuri model village issue, the locals who are still residing in Park Enclave site, will be allotted alternate plots in Kuri village-- a step which will pave the way for getting the area cleared for 60 allottees of Park Enclave.

CDA’s spokesperson Malik Saleem said: “During the meeting the CDA chairman discussed the chronic issue of Kuri model village and directed the members concerned to take steps to resolve this issue.”

The Kuri Model village, which would be over 3,200 acres in the Kuri, Majohan and Rehala mauzas in Zone IV, was announced almost 50 years ago. It could provide hundreds of thousands of housing units, and is equal to around four residential sectors in Islamabad, one of which typically consists of 750 acres.

Talking to Dawn, officials of planning wing said after paying compensation and the built-up property claims, the CDA would have 2,000 acres. They said an initial survey found about 1,100 occupants of the land, but when the CDA began the process to take possession of the acquired land in 2011, the number had increased to 7,096.

The officials said most of the ownership claims were bogus, as the Federal Investigation Agency in 2013 had only cleared 3,422 landholders. Since then, the issue is lying unattended.

The CDA spokesman said that the chairman had been taking personal interest in resolving the issue of shortage of housing units in the capital and once Kuri is developed, thousands of people would be adjusted in this scheme.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018