ISLAMABAD: As the federal capital faces an acute housing crisis due to a population boom, the Capital Development Agency (CDA) seems least interested in the development of at least six residential sectors which are expected to add as many as 20,000 plots to the burgeoning housing market.

Due to various reasons, the development work in E-12 and C-16 is barely progressing whereas in the other four sectors — C-14, C-15, I-12 and I-15 — is continued at a sluggish pace. The said six sectors will have over 20,000 plots upon completion and can play a crucial role in addressing the housing crisis in the capital.

Besides these sectors, there are other proposed sectors, such as F-13, D-13, and E-13, where the CDA has yet to get possession of land before calling tenders for development work.

“For starting development work in sectors F-13, D-13, and E-13, the CDA will have to get possession of land – a step which requires settlement of issues between locals and the civic agency first,” said an official while referring to the land compensation issues with the locals.

Development of C-14, C-15, I-12, and I-15 underway at snail’s pace; E-12 and C-16

CDA officials shared with Dawn the progress of development work in these six sectors. In E-12, which is one of the oldest sectors launched in 1989, the development work is incomplete despite 34 years. A few years ago, the work was started in its three sub-sectors, and a contractor was also hired in 2020 to develop the sub-sectors 2 and 3.

In December 2021, the contractor started the work and the June 2023 deadline was fixed. The contractor left the project incomplete and the CDA cancelled the contract last year. The contractor filed a case against the CDA; however, a new tender could not be issued. Meanwhile, the development work in E-12/1 was started in December 2020 and at present 50pc work has been completed while the tender for E-11/4 has not been called yet.

Similarly, the CDA also missed the deadline of December 2023 to complete the development work in Sector I-12 and the contractor was given an extension of six months. The work on service roads in this sector also faces an inordinate delay due to issues between the CDA and the contractor. Last year, the CDA started development work in Sector C-16, which was halted after two months because of the issues between the civic body and local landowners. Since then the work has not started.

On the other hand, development in C-14, C-15, and I-15 sectors is underway at a good pace. Two sub-sectors of I-15 have been completed and in the third sub-sector, the work is near completion; for the remaining one sector (I-15/1), the civic agency is hiring a new contractor. Meanwhile, the development of the C-14 and C-15 is expected to be completed by this year.

A CDA official said that the civic agency has been focused on the completion of ongoing development work in the said sectors. He said there was no hurdle in completing the development work in at least three sectors. “We are hopeful that this year the development work in I-12, C-14, and C-15 will be completed. While Sector I-15 is almost finished, we also aim to expedite work in other sectors as well,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024