Mayor says ignoring development sector led to housing crisis

Aziz seeks proposals from CDA Member Estate

ISLAMABAD: Ignoring the development sector has led to an acute shortage of housing units in the capital, causing prices of existing units to surge.

This was stated by Islamabad Mayor and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz during a meeting with representatives of Islamabad Real Estate Agents Association (IREAA) at CDA headquarters on Friday.



Aziz noted that the development sector, one of the most important areas, had been ignored in the past. As a result, it caused not only shortage of residential units in the capital, but also caused property prices in the federal capital to rise exponentially.

The delegation of property dealers told the mayor about the issues they were facing including on transfer of plots in Sector I-15, extension in time granted for the No-Demand-Certificate (NDC) and the establishment of a cafeteria at the One Window Directorate.

Aziz said that said after assuming charge as CDA chairman, the civic agency’s management had introduced a number of reforms in the organisation particularly in the Land, Rehabilitation and Estate Management Wings.

He added that after receiving complaints of irregularities, the entire staff of the Land and Rehabilitation Directorate had been transferred.

Furthermore, development work in the sectors, which had started several decades ago but had been pending, had also resumed.

The mayor added that in Sector I-15, which had been set up for the low-income section of the public but remained ignored by past managements, the incumbent management had taken concrete measures to resolve all issues which were hindering the development of the sector.



In this regard, he said that those who had been allotted flats in Sector I-15 had now been allotted plots in lieu of those flats. Allotment letters in this context have also been issued and soon development activities in the sector would begin.

He said that all formations of the authority were working in close coordination to resolve issues pertaining to the development of Sectors I-11, E-12, I-14, I-16 among others.

After hearing out complaints from the property dealers, Aziz directed CDA’s Member Estate Khushall Khan to submit practical suggestions on the genuine issues raised by IREAA representatives.

The Member Estate was further directed to upgrade the One Window Operation Directorate to better facilitate the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2017.