CDA Clears I-15 Land After 20-Year Wait
The Capital Development Authority has cleared long-standing encroachments from about 36.5 acres of land in Sector I-15, opening the way for the planned development of about 500 plots. The CDA I-15 encroachments had blocked the sector’s development for nearly two decades after it was launched in 2005.
The operation took place in Sub-Sector I-15/1. It removed more than 300 houses, cattle sheds and havelis in Sheikhpur village that had stood on land set aside under the sector’s approved plan. The cleared land accounts for roughly one-fourth of the sector, and it includes residential and commercial plots that had been occupied.
Deputy Director General for Enforcement Dr Anum Fatima supervised the operation, which followed nearly two months of sustained effort. The matter reached CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf during an open forum, after which he directed the Enforcement Directorate to act and retrieve the land.
CDA I-15 encroachments: what the clearance changes
For allottees, the clearance is a first step, not a finish line. The CDA has directed its Planning Wing to begin planning and development work in the cleared area on an urgent basis, so that possession can be handed over. Formal possession will follow only after planning, development work and legal and administrative formalities are complete.
That distinction matters. Many of the affected allottees are retired government employees whose investments have remained tied up for years. They bought plots in a sector that was launched in 2005, then watched encroachments block development while their money sat idle. Clearance gives them a timeline again, but it does not yet give them keys.
The CDA said it remains committed to protecting lawful allottees’ rights, retrieving public land from encroachers, and speeding up residential development in line with approved plans and regulations. The test of that commitment will be how quickly plots move from cleared land to developed streets with services.
A familiar Islamabad pattern
Sector I-15 is not the only part of the capital where plans have waited years for ground reality to catch up. Islamabad’s growth has repeatedly run ahead of its services, from water supply to parks to schools. The city recently moved on a new water source at Shahdara Dam, projected to add 5 to 10 million gallons a day, and it has seen guarantees that no trees will be cut at F-9 Park during development work.
Schools tell a similar story. The prime minister recently ordered urgent reforms in Islamabad’s government schools, after a survey found gaps in facilities and teaching in some schools. In each case, the pattern is the same: a plan exists, delivery lags, and a push from the top restarts work.
For I-15, the open forum route is worth noting. The chairman acted after hearing the issue directly from affected people, rather than through a court order or a new policy. That shows how much of Islamabad’s land backlog still moves case by case, sector by sector, instead of through a single city-wide settlement.
What to watch next
Three things will show whether this clearance leads to possession. First, the Planning Wing must produce a development plan for the cleared area and start work on it. Second, the legal and administrative formalities for handing over plots must move without fresh disputes over the cleared land. Third, the CDA must prevent re-encroachment while development is under way, since cleared land in Islamabad has been reoccupied before.
Allottees should also watch for a possession schedule. The CDA has not yet announced dates for handing over the roughly 500 plots. Until it does, the clearance remains good news with an open ending: land retrieved, but homes still to build.
Which area was cleared?
The operation cleared about 36.5 acres in Sub-Sector I-15/1, in Sheikhpur village. The land accounts for roughly one-fourth of Sector I-15.
How many structures were removed?
More than 300 houses, cattle sheds and havelis were removed from land set aside under the sector’s approved plan.
When was Sector I-15 launched?
The sector was launched in 2005, nearly 20 years before this clearance. About 500 residential and commercial plots are planned on the cleared land.
Do allottees get possession now?
No. Formal possession will follow after planning, development work and legal and administrative formalities are complete. The CDA has directed its Planning Wing to start that work urgently.
