ISLAMABAD: Due to the issues pertaining to land possession and disputes with contractors, the development work in several residential sectors of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is underway at a snail’s pace
These sectors have over 2,000 plots and can play a crucial role in addressing the housing crisis faced by the federal capital. The key job of the CDA is to develop sectors, but after F-11 and D-12, the civic agency has failed to develop a new sector.
At present, there are six sectors – E-12, C-14, C-15, C-16, I-12, and I-15 – in the federal capital which are being developed by the civic body. Except for C-14 and C-15, there has been hardly any progress in other residential sectors.
In E-12, which is one of the oldest sectors launched in 1989, the development work is still incomplete despite the passage of 34 years.
Land possession, legal battles with contractors affect development work in E-12, C-16, I-15, I-12
A few years ago, the development work was started in its three sub-sectors, and a contractor was hired in 2020 to develop the sub-sectors 2 and 3.
In December 2021, the contractor started the work and the deadline was June 2023. The contractor left the project incomplete, and the CDA cancelled the contract last year. The contractor filed a case against the CDA and a new tender could not be issued.
As far as E-12/1 is concerned, the development work in this sub-sector started in December 2022. At present, 50 per cent work is complete. In 2022, the CDA had invited tenders for development work in sub-sector E-12/4, but the “adverse possession of land” got in the way. Eventually, the bid validity period expired and now CDA has to go for a fresh bidding process.
In Sector I-12, the development work was supposed to be completed by December 2023, but the contractor is getting extensions from the CDA. Sources believe the work will remain unfinished by the end of the fiscal year ending in June. Similarly, the work on the service roads in this sector has been facing delays for several years.
In contrast to the abovementioned sectors, the I-15 sector is faring a bit better, as its two sub-sectors have been developed. In one of the sub-sectors, the development work is underway; the contractor for the sub-sector 1 has quit and the CDA is planning to invite fresh tenders.
The development of the C sectors – C-14 and C-15 – is expected to be completed during the ongoing fiscal year. In C-16, the work has been delayed.
Out of the total four sub-sectors, the CDA had awarded a contract for only two sub-sectors last year, but after a few months, the work had come to a halt because of the landowners, who have been demanding compensation and built-up property award. Due to the land possession issues, the work on the other two sectors could not kick off.
CDA Spokesperson Member Technology and Digitalisation Nauman Khalid could not be approached for his comments on Sunday. A senior official, however, confirmed the challenges faced by the civic agency in the execution of development work in the sectors.
“…except for C-14 and C-15 sectors, we are facing several challenges, like land possession issues and litigation from the contractors. We have been taking steps to resolve these issues as soon as possible,” said the official.
Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2024
