Islamabad:Despite clear directives from the Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Muhammad Ali Randhawa to expedite development work in Sector I-12 and hand over plot possession by October 2024, the CDA authorities have failed to meet the deadline, leaving thousands of allottees in limbo.
Five months after the lapsed deadline, no significant progress has been made, raising serious concerns over CDA’s commitment to resolving Islamabad’s housing crisis.
Sector I-12, once a garbage dump spanning 745.87 acres, was earmarked for 6,040 residential plots of varying sizes (25x50, 30x60, and 35x65). Its development was seen as a crucial step toward alleviating the city’s severe housing shortage. However, the sluggish pace of work suggests the sector remains a low priority for the authority.
Tahir Mahmood, one of the affected allottees, complained that those with plots in Sector I-12, mostly from the middle class or government employees, had been waiting for years to receive plot possession.
"We continue to rent private houses or government accommodations, hoping to build own homes, but the sluggish pace of development in I-12 has added to our despair," he said. Shahid Maqbool, another allottee, said owning a home was his dream, but the CDA’s indifference was shattering it. "Even the CDA chairman’s orders seem to have no impact because officials of CDA did not take this seriously,” he complained
Aftab Ujjan highlighted the broader housing crisis in the capital city. “Islamabad’s rents are skyrocketing because new residential sectors aren’t being developed. If CDA had delivered on time, many families could have moved into their own homes by now,” he said. With CDA officials appearing to disregard their own chairman’s directives, allottees have appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene.
“We request the PM to take personal interest and ensure immediate award of plot possession to us to end our decades-long wait,” said an affected plot allottee.