The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to launch the “Gandhara Triangle Project” along the GT Road as part of its efforts to raise revenue for acquiring land in Zone III of Islamabad.
Credible sources have said that CDA has already shared the proposal of the project with the commission formed by the federal government tasked with revising the master plan of the federal capital.
Zone III consists of 51,000 acres, of which 20,000 acres of land is either not acquired or private. The Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) accounts for a major part of the land of the zone. The areas of Shah Allah Ditta, Kot Hatyal, Bhara Kahu, and Banigala also fall under this zone.
Under the proposal, CDA has suggested banning locals from selling land in the open market. Although they will be free to sell their land at any time, they will be bound to sell it to CDA which will be utilized for different projects in the future. It will pay them according to the rates fixed by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).
CDA has identified 74 acres of land for the project near GT Road opposite sector B-17. It has planned residential apartment buildings, farmhouses, shopping centers, and cinemas in the project. It believes that the project has immense potential due to its close proximity to GT Road and Margalla Raod. It thinks that the project could generate billions of rupees in revenue which the CDA can use to acquire more land in the zone.
A Greek architectural company had developed Islamabad’s master plan in 1960 which was supposed to be revised after every 20 years. However, successive governments failed to revise the master plan.
Ultimately, the PTI government in December 2018 decided to revise the master plan of the federal capital and formed a high-level commission consisting of experts to redo the master plan.
The commission prepared an interim report which was approved by the federal cabinet in October 2019. It consisted of new laws related to construction in all zones except for Zone III. The commission asked the CDA to formulate a plan for Zone III where there has been a lot of unauthorized construction.
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