ISLAMABAD: While claiming that all possible steps will be taken to provide housing facilities to the residents, CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa has announced that strict action will be taken against illegal housing and cooperative societies across Islamabad.

“The CDA is conducting surveys to assess how much land these societies originally applied with permission of layout plan to CDA and how much land they possessed now and how many additional files they have sold out to citizens beyond their legal authorisation. CDA intends to proceed against all such illegal housing societies who have violated their layout plans as well as NOCs and will cancel illegal layout plans and withdraw all such NOCs in accordance with the law,” he said while chairing a meeting.

The meeting was attended by Member Administration and Estate Talat Mahmood, Member Engineering Syed Nafasat Raza, Member Planning Dr Khalid Hafiz, Member Environment Esfandyar Baloch and Member Finance Tahir Naeem.

Mr Randhawa, who is also the chief commissioner Islamabad, directed that all housing societies must install water treatment plants for the provision of clean and safe drinking water to their residents and ensure plot allotments strictly followed approved layout plans, rules and NOCs.

The meeting also reviewed CDA’s overall performance, particularly in sector development, water supply, beautification projects, actions against illegal housing societies, encroachments, construction of new sports complexes, operationalisation of the Gandhara Citizen Art Centre, upgradation of CDA Hospital, transformation of the CDA nursery into a “Gardenia Hub,” establishment of a food street in Blue Area, improvement of model schools and the upgradation of 25 cricket and as many football grounds.

Mr Randhawa said while sports complexes were being constructed, all necessary steps must be taken for uplifting of the cricket and football grounds.

He said CDA was taking serious steps in order to meet the demands of citizens regarding provision of water. The establishment of Islamabad Water Agency was a step towards ensuring adequate water.

He said all recruitments in CDA were being made purely on merit. He also ordered third-party audits of all CDA projects in order to maintain transparency, high-quality standards, from reputed audit firms.

To enhance healthcare services, the chairman said qualified doctors were being appointed at Capital Hospital, and the process of medicine procurement had been streamlined.

He also said funds were being utilised to transform the CDA Nursery into a gardenia hub in collaboration with authorities from Baku.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2025