The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to move forward with a plan to regularize and upgrade Islamabad’s recognized katchi abadis (slums).
This includes settlements located in areas such as F-6, F-7, and G-7, and roll out a range of basic facilities as part of the initiative.
The decision was taken during a board meeting, chaired by CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa, where the board approved new regulations aimed at bringing already-recognized informal settlements into the capital’s formal planning framework.
According to the CDA, the regulations apply to slums that were regularized by the federal government between 1995 and 2004. The authority said only those residents will be treated as entitled who were found living in these settlements in a survey conducted up to December 31, 2002.
The board also decided that the Spatial Directorate of CDA’s Planning Wing will carry out a fresh survey of the recognized settlements. Based on the new data, CDA will prepare upgradation and resettlement schemes.
Officials said the upgrade work will include layout planning, along with improving existing infrastructure and adding essential services. The planned measures include:
- Provision of basic amenities
- Beautification of the neighbourhoods
- Construction and repair of roads and streets
- Better integration of these settlements into Islamabad’s planned urban development
CDA Chairman Randhawa said the steps are aimed at encouraging organised urban planning in the federal capital.
Islamabad has had 10 officially approved slums, officials noted. Over time, some residents from settlements such as Haq Bahoo and Dhoke Najo were shifted to Frash Town.
Muslim Colony (Bari Imam) was also among the approved settlements, and sources said many of its households were allotted plots in Frash Town in earlier phases, though a number of families were still awaiting allotment.
Authorities have also pointed to a pattern of unauthorized expansion and illegal construction in some recognized settlements. Recently, CDA carried out an operation in Muslim Colony, removing structures as part of its enforcement actions.
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