CDA likely to face problems due to delay in land acquisition

[Salman]

CDA likely to face problems due to delay in land acquisition

Islamabad :Delay on part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in starting acquisition of land would create problems for it to open and develop two new sectors — C-15 and C-16 — in near future.

Sources in the civic body said that CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal wanted to open two new sectors during the financial year 2012-2013, but there was lack of planning to take possession of open land, the award of which was announced about five years back.

“The CDA should acquire open land as early as possible to avoid construction of Built-up Property (BuP) there,” a senior official of the CDA said, adding that otherwise these two sectors would also face the fate like that of sectors D-12 and G-14.

It has been noted that BuPs on the land of new sectors were created due to the negligence or with the connivance of officials of the CDA and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and they themselves were responsible for causing undue delay in development of these sectors.

Currently, there are only a few BuPs, which are scattered on the land of two new sectors, and they will increase with the passage of time till the CDA acquires and takes possession of land.

Meanwhile, sources said that the CDA chairman, a few days back, chaired a meeting to discuss details with regard to launching of sectors C-15 and C-16, but it ended without taking any decision. The meeting was attended by Member Planning Abdul Aziz Qureshi, Member Estate Khalid Mehmud Mirza and Director-General Planning Sardar Sindhu.

The CDA member estate, however, told the chairman that he would soon present a plan before the CDA Board on the land acquisition.It has also been learnt that the CDA Board had already approved the layout plan of two sectors.

According to the plan, the provision of commercial plots had been made along Margalla Avenue, while for the first time, some plots have been reserved for guesthouses and hostels for boys and girls. There would be five or six plots for guesthouses and four plots for hostels (boys and girls) to avert non-conforming use of residential buildings as being witnessed in the developed sectors.

The Sector C-15 would have 4,000 residential plots, measuring 40x80 square feet and 500 square yards. Similarly, the Sector C-16 would have 4,300 plots of sizes 25x50, 30x60 and 40x80 square feet and 500 square yards.