Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is once again considering revising the payment plan for Park Enclave-II project after it failed to complete the development work on time.

The civic body had announced the second phase of Park Enclave in December 2015 even though the process of giving possession of land to owners of first phase had not yet been completed. The authority earned billions of rupees through its ‘fake claims’ to give possession within time. However, the buyers are still waiting for the fulfilment of the civic body’s promises.

Resultantly, a number of investors have either asked for refunds or have halted payments. Others are still waiting for the agency to follow through on its promise.

CDA documents show that the authority received around Rs 5,600 million under the head of Park Enclave. However, it only spent Rs 200 million on the project during 2016-17.

Allottees of the first phase of Park Enclave project are still waiting to get possession of their plots. However, the CDA announced new phases and sectors to make more money.

Now, the Estate Management Directorate has forwarded a new summary to the CDA Board, seeking relaxation in delayed payment charges. The summary also proposes allowing buyers to transfer their plots even on partial payment.

A source inside the Estate Wing informed Daily Times that allowing buyers to sell their plots on partial payment would not hurt CDA’s interests. “Property dealers are already selling and purchasing plots in Park Enclave on stamp papers,” he said.

When contacted, Islamabad Mayor Shaikh Ansar Aziz said: “Yes, the summary is on the CDA Board’s agenda. We will consider it in next meeting and it will hopefully be approved. We don’t want to treat the people unjustly.”

To a question regarding the slow pace of development work in Park Enclave, he said: “The development work has been stalled because we have not completed the process of getting possession of the land so far.”

“We initiated the work on Kuri Model Village because most of the affectees of Park Enclave project will be relocated there,” he said.

Another CDA official, however, said that the incumbent Estate Member Khushal was supposed to take possession of the land for Park Enclave. “However, he is more interested in the allotment of plots to land affectees in other sectors because it is a profitable business,” he said.

Daily Times tried several times to contact the Estate member. However, he remained unavailable for comments.

Published in Daily Times, August 5^th 2017.