ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to accept affidavits in place of the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the building control directorate for the lease extension of commercial properties.

Now, for a lease extension, the NOC from the building control directorate is no longer mandatory. Property owners will get the lease extended on the basis of an affidavit with a commitment of removing any violations in the buildings in six months.

“On the request of business community, we have decided to pursue lease cases without the NOC of building control,” said an officer of the estate wing.

He said the business community had been complaining about the cumbersome process related to the building control NOC and avoiding getting lease extensions.

“We have decided to extend leases without getting building control NOC. After six months, owners will submit an affidavit to remove violations if any within six months otherwise the building control officials will take action. But, we believe that cases of lease extension should not be linked with the building control NOC,” the officer said.

The CDA has not pursued cases of hundreds of commercial properties whose leases have expired during the last two and half decades. The civic agency had earlier allotted a large number of commercial plots in various markets of Islamabad on 33-year leases, which were extendable for a further two terms.

Sources said leases of hundreds of these properties expired during the last two and a half decades but the civic agency did not pursue these cases. Many who had been allotted plots have not applied for an extension of their leases. The sources said CDA can generate billions of rupees from lease extension fees.

The officials explained that those allotted plots had made several unilateral changes, including unauthorised subdivisions, changes of trade and building designs etc., and that their lease may not be extended due to these changes and that was why they were not applying for an extension.

They said that some class-III shopping centres in several sub-sectors were being operated in violation of the purpose of the allotment of their lease.

The officials said class-III shopping centres were meant to include shops for grocery, fruits and vegetables, milk, stationery, pharmacies etc. But in some sectors, they are being used for entirely different purposes.

Several class-III shopping centres were being used for purposes other than that defined in their allotment agreements.

Al-Habib Market in G-7 was meant as an indoor shopping centre but after many changes it is now an open market. As per its layout plan, the class-III shopping centre had nine units but after subdivisions, many of them now have 72 shops each.

CDA officials said the G-7 Khadda Market was originally the sector’s markaz but is now being used as a market for auto-workshops. Moreover, gullies within markets have been converted into shops. Similarly, shops in Rana Market F-6 open towards houses and roads. As per the terms and conditions of the leases, after the expiry of the first term, CDA was to enforce a second term but no such efforts were made by the civic agency’s estate management-II directorate.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2026