ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to launch a new major commercial area along the G.T. Road, which has the potential to generate a whopping overRs 500 billion for the civic body.

Sources said that on the direction of the CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, CDA teams are working on this project which is expected to be launched in coming months.

“If this project is sold out after proper planning and development, it has potential of generating over Rs500 billion,” said an official.

The civic agency had acquired 3,550 kanals land in 1967 –a 16-km patch from EME College to Nicholson Monument, in the shape of 200-feet wide strip on either side of G.T. Road.

Sources said that Chairman CDA Mr. Ashraf has been focusing on early launch of this scheme and he had also chaired a few meetings on this project, directing the wings concerned to complete their task as soon as possible before formal launch. The sources said that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also extended his full support to CDA to retrieve state land, from illegal occupation, anywhere in Islamabad.

An official of CDA said that out of 3550 kanal after proper planning, around 2000 kanal can be used. “For example, if one square yard is sold against Rs lowest rate of Rs7.5 lakh, then one kanal (7.5x650) will be sold out against Rs 500 million. So imagine rate of 2000 kanal, I guess, this project, if launched after proper planning and development, has the capacity to generate over Rs500 billion,” he said, adding but surely CDA will not go to sell entire project in one go, rather “we will launch it gradually”.

The G.T. Road is the property of National Highway Authority (NHA) while the acquired land at its length from EME College to Nicholson Monument (200 wide strip on both sides) is the property of CDA.

However, CDA had failed to protect its land until 2025 when operation was slightly started. Planning Wing of the CDA had also played important role of conducting demarcation of land, as CDA’s and NHA’s land shares boundaries with each other.

Later on last year, a major operation was conducted under the supervision of then CDA’s Deputy Director General Enforcement Dr Anam Fatima and significant portion of land was retrieved.

The sources said that once again operation is in progress to retrieve remaining land. “As far as removal of permanent buildings is concerned, we have marked all these buildings and after adopting proper procedure, we will raze these buildings too before launching this project, after all encroachment is encroachment whether temporary or permanent,” said an official, adding that there could be over 100 permanent buildings on CDA’s land.

Meanwhile, Director General Spatial Planning Ijaz Ahmad Sheikh has formed a four-member committee under the supervision of Deputy Director General Architecture Ali Abdullah to finalise design of this project.

Sources said that there are several fuel stations on NHA land, but currently NHA is adding an additional land on G. T. Road, therefore, immediately there will be huge demand of fuel stations in the area on CDA’s land.

The sources said that besides other type of encroachment, CDA’s acquired land is also being used for dealers of heavy construction machinery, as they park large numbers of machinery on CDA’s land in Tarnol area. Interestingly, the said dealers not only supply these machineries on rent for Islamabad, but in this region including Murree, Kashmir, Taxila and other areas.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026