CDA bans house allotments for six months

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has banned further allotment of houses in the city for the next six months.

Talking to the Express Tribune, Director Administration CDA Syed Hussain Raza Zaidi said the ban has been issued because the city is facing severe shortage of houses, but the authority expects to meet the shortage within six months. He said during the tenure of the former CDA chairman, Kamran Lashari, the authority planned to construct 4,000 houses in the city and develop new sectors namely D-13, E-13, F-13, D-14, C-13 and C-14, but the project has been delayed.

CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi said that development work of the new residential sectors will be carried out under a public-private partnership. He said that reputable construction firms of international standards are being hired for the development of the new sectors. “The joint venture will not only ensure availability of funds but construction of new sectors and residential units for CDA employees,” he added.

“Authority cannot even accommodate its own employees,” said Zaidi. He said there are only 2,100 houses available for 17,000 CDA employees. Thousands of applicants are in the waiting list as the current houses are booked till 2016, he added.

Zaidi said that since Islamabad was declared the capital city, its master plan has never been properly revised. “Master plans of modern cities are supposed to be revised after every 25 years,” he added.

CDA Chairman said that although changes have been made from time to time, there are some major flaws in the original plan. “There has been no space allocated for servant quarters and Katchi Abadis in the original plan,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2010.