The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is expected to sink further into financial crisis as they have offered up 700 plots in the first phase of Park Enclave for residential development but received very few applications as its planning wing issued a no objection certificate (NOC) to another housing scheme which offers plots at half prices and because the authority has yet to prepare a design for Park Enclave.
“The CDA has priced a one kanal plot in the housing scheme at Rs 12 million. In contrast, Bahria Enclave offers plots of multiple sizes, the smallest of which, 5 marlas, costs as low as Rs 1.6 million. Due to corruption and the connivance of the authority’s high ups the CDA’s planning wing has issued an NOC to Bahria Eclave, which will not only affect the CDA’s financial position but also lower its public confidence,” an official CDA source told Pakistan Today. He said files submitted to the CDA took months to reach the concerned departments but in issuing the NOC to Bahria Enclave, authority officials had taken only hours which was one of the reasons for the failure of Park Enclave. “The management of Bahria Enclave housing scheme had to first submit for approval its Land Use Plan (LUP) file which was missing from the land record.
Yet the record was arranged within a few hours with CDA officials’ collaboration and the concerned officer had issued an NOC to the society,” the official said. The source said poor response by people also showed that the public had lost confidence in the CDA due to growing corruption therein. Also, the absence of a design by the CDA for Park Enclave not only belied their claim that the development work for the scheme would be complete in one year but also ensured the success of Bahria Enclave, he said. He said under the CDA plan, the scheme would be developed in two phases. In Phase-I, a gated housing community comprising about 700 houses shall be developed. More green area had been managed through the planning of 500 square yards. Plots occupied 40% of the open area instead of the 55% currently allowed in Islamabad. About 60% would be used for roads, green areas and other amenities, he said.
The scheme is located 4 km from Islamabad Club and accessible from all major roads such as Kashmir Highway, Park Road, Lehtrar Road, Kuri Road & Islamabad Highway. The project was to have civic amenities such as a mosque, school, club House (Including the facilities of a swimming pool, squash courts, Tennis courts, Badminton courts, indoor games and Gym etc), parks, children’s play land, open-air restaurant around a lake with a walking track, cricket & football ground, and shopping malls.
