Development work in Islamabad's Sector E-12 has passed the 60 per cent mark after the recovery of 1,135 kanals of government land, ending a delay that has stretched for nearly four decades. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has now set a six-month target to complete the remaining work in the sector.

Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Sohail Ashraf visited Sector E-12 on Monday, 9 November, and carried out a detailed review of the development work under way. Officers briefing him said full-scale work was proceeding after the retrieval of the government land, which had been pending for four decades.

What has been completed so far

In sub-sector E-12/4, earthwork has been completed, while work on the base, sub-base and drainage is proceeding rapidly. Earthwork on Khayaban-e-Iqbal Service Road and on the South and East Service Roads has also been completed, with base and drainage work under way.

In Sector E-12/3, temporary street treatment has been completed in 15 streets, while earthwork and base work continue in the remaining streets. In E-12/2, the treatment has been completed in 25 streets, and in E-12/1 it has been completed in 25 streets, with earthwork continuing in the streets that remain.

A sector stalled since 1989

Sector E-12 was launched by the CDA in 1989, but development remained incomplete, largely because of possession issues involving acquired land and unresolved compensation claims. The authority has recently intensified efforts to take possession of the land required for development, recovering more than 1,000 kanals through an operation against longstanding occupation. The recovered land is estimated to be worth billions of rupees.

Development has already made significant progress in three of the sector's four sub-sectors, and the authority has now shifted its attention to Sub-Sector 4, where work had remained stalled. With possession of additional land secured, the CDA plans to build roads and municipal infrastructure, as well as the other civic facilities needed to make the sector suitable for residential development.

Chairman orders remaining work on priority

Chairman Sohail Ashraf directed that the remaining development work in Sector E-12 be completed on a priority basis, and that all obstacles in the way of the sector's development be removed in accordance with the law. He said encroachment on government land would not be tolerated under any circumstances, and that the completion of development work in new sectors was among the top priorities of the CDA administration.

He added that sector development would not only provide better facilities to residents but would also contribute to the overall development of the city, and that meeting the residential needs of the federal capital, in view of its growing population, was among the administration's top priorities. Development remains pending in other Islamabad sectors, including C-13, C-15, C-16, D-13, E-13 and F-13, where compensation-related matters have yet to be fully resolved.