ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has announced that it is all set to launch development work in I-15. However, the fate of other stalled sectors still hangs in the balance.

“Process of pre-qualification of contractors would be completed within a week, after that tenders for development work in 1-15would be issued,” said a statement issued by CDA.

In response to CDA’s tender, 42 firms have applied for bidding. A committee is evaluating the financial capability, machinery and human resource, previous experience and reputation of the companies, it added.

The committee has been directed to ensure completion of the pre-qualification process within a week so that tenders for the development work could be issued.

According to CDA, I-15 was designed in 2005 to provide housing to low-income group but remained stalled for years. There are 10,290 plots of different categories in the sector.

Despite the allotment of plots, no step regarding its development has been taken for nearly two decades and allottees have been unable to construct houses on their plots.

“Development of 1-15 is a good step but other stalled sectors should also be developed,” said an official of the CDA.

He said there was a long list of stalled sectors including C-13,C-14, C-15, C-16, D-13, E-13, F-13, H-16, I-17, I-11, I-12, 1-14, I-15, Kuri Model Village, Park Enclave II and Chatta Bakhtawar.

The allottees in E-12 have been waiting to get their plots since 1989. In this sector, CDA has recently started developing a service road.

“Only construction of service road will not serve the purpose, rather a fully-fledged development work should be carried out in E-12,” the CDA official said.

The official said the land award for C-13 was announced in 2008 and the sector spread over 745 kanals and seven marlas.

Sectors’ development is facing a delay due to pending allotment against land sharing and acquisition of the built-up property (BUP). Its layout plan has yet to be prepared. The land award for C-14 (1,550 kanals) and C-15 (3,261 kanals) was announced in 2008 but so far the civic agency could not complete the process of allotting plots to locals against their land and BUP claims.

Though land awards for C-16, D-13, E-13 and F-13 were announced in 2008, they are also facing several issues such as incomplete allotments against land sharing and BUP acquisition.

Land awards for H-16, 17 and I-11 were announced in 2009 but so far the civic agency has not paid compensation to the landholders. Recently, the CDA decided that after acquiring I-17 the entire sector would be allotted to an army-run university for the setting up of a medical city. The land awards for 1-12 and I-15 were announced in 1968-69 but because of different reasons these sectors could not be developed yet.

When contacted, CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali said the incumbent management was moving forward in accordance with a plan.

“Instead of criticising, credit must be given to the incumbent management for starting development in at least two sectors - E-12 and now I-15. The development work in remaining portion of Park Enclave-I is also in progress,” he said, adding that recently the revised layout plan for I-12 has been finalised.

“We are also planning to start development in I-12 and some other sectors,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2019