With the emerging population in the Federal Capital the Civic body has failed to meet the growing demand of houses as it is currently falling short by some 75,000 houses in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is facing difficulties in acquiring lands for new sectors due to financial crunch.
During the last fifty years of its establishment, CDA could only develop 27 sectors mainly for residential purpose, though some of them have been specified for other uses like educational institutes, Fatima Jinnah Park, other government buildings and graveyard.
As per CDA ordinance 1960, the provision of housing is the basic mandate of the civic body. However, during last two decades, the mandate has been overlooked as the town developers had been focusing mainly on beautification of the city and expansion of road infrastructure. During this course of adornment, the middle class was overlooked. People from well-off families settled in the city purchasing land worth millions of rupees. City administration eased their movement by constructing avenues and interchanges.
But the government’s claims for not making Islamabad a city of privileged class and equally facilitate the low-income group was just lip service.
According to basic layout plan of Islamabad, in total 60 sectors have been designed for mixed use over 55,000 acres of land. Of these sectors, 40 have been acquired by the CDA while another nine are yet under acquisition and rest are yet un-acquired. But due to lack of proper vigilance or taking over possession, the land mafia reoccupied the land.
The occupants, who had already been paid compensation a decade of more ago now seek more compensation as per existing land price, though the apex court has barred the CDA of paying any additional amount.
The estimated population of Islamabad has touched mark of 1.3 million and as per household size of 6.5 persons, the housing requirement has reached 200,000 units. The available housing units in 27 sectors are 125,000, showing the shortage of 75,000 units. Among the sectors those are yet under-developed include D-12, E-11, I-14, I-15 and I-16.
The residential sectors for those the land is yet being acquired from the owners include C 13, 14, 15, 16, D-13, E-13, F-13 and H-16 and once developed, all these sectors would provide 30,000 units. But the CDA is yet confused as how to retake the land from adverse possession particularly after the Supreme Court verdict disallowing any further compensation.
The CDA authorities are well aware that the illegal occupants would never vacate the CDA land until they are paid more compensation as per their demand, though CDA has already paid the same twice in some cases. Now the CDA has come up with a land-sharing formula under which the land owners would be paid one Kanal of developed land against four Kanals of un-developed land. However, it is yet uncertain as whether the formula would get success or prolong the issue further. Moreover, the CDA cannot also form any joint venture as the apex court had already nullified such a deal of joint venture CDA had signed to develop Northern Strip of E-11. According to the CDA spokesman, Ramzan Sajid, the CDA has the liability of Rs35 billion against the land as well as the built-up-property in various areas of the city and amidst prevailing financial crunch, it is yet unable to pay-off the whole compensation. He admitted that CDA had earlier been neglecting basic mandate of housing; however the CDA chairman has ordered the relevant formation to devise a mechanism to restore development of stalled sectors. He said the CDA had already given possession to plot holders in sector D-12 after a long delay and various steps have been taken to develop sector I-15 as well.
