ISLAMABAD: In the CDA 898 kanals case, the Capital Development Authority has ordered immediate action to recover 898 kanals of government land in Islamabad’s Mouza Shah Allah Ditta that was acquired for a landfill and controlled dumping site but is allegedly under illegal occupation.
Member Estate CDA Muhammad Zaman Wattoo directed officials to submit an updated report on the authority’s physical possession of the land and to identify those responsible for failing to protect government property.
The CDA 898 kanals recovery order came in an official letter dated October 15, 2026, following a communication from the National Accountability Bureau’s Islamabad and Rawalpindi region dated October 8.
NAB flagged the alleged encroachment
According to the CDA letter, NAB raised concerns over a complaint alleging illegal encroachment on CDA land in Shah Allah Ditta involving authority officers, officials and other parties.
Wattoo instructed the Deputy Commissioner CDA to coordinate with the relevant departments, take immediate steps to retrieve the land and prevent further unauthorised occupation.
Officials must also determine responsibility for the alleged encroachment and identify revenue officers and other staff who may have failed in their duty to protect the property.
The authority wants an updated account of the land’s physical possession as it moves to address the alleged occupation of the site meant for the landfill and controlled dumping facility.
The directions follow NAB’s communication on the complaint. The allegations remain subject to inquiry and have not been established as findings of wrongdoing, the reports noted.
The CDA 898 kanals order in context
This is not an isolated case. The CDA has been running a sustained campaign to reclaim state land across the capital. Earlier, the authority retrieved more than 1,000 kanals in Sector E-12 after a decades-long occupation, and it expects Rs500 billion from a new commercial project on G.T. Road land.
The Shah Allah Ditta order adds another 898 kanals to that pipeline. The land was originally acquired for a public utility — a landfill site — that the authority says slipped into illegal occupation. Fixing responsibility on the revenue officers who failed to protect it signals that the CDA now wants accountability alongside recovery.
Shah Allah Ditta is a historic village on Islamabad’s outskirts, near the Margalla Hills, where state land has long been vulnerable to encroachment. A dedicated landfill and controlled dumping site matters for the capital’s waste management, as the city’s garbage volumes keep growing with its population.
What happens next is now in the Deputy Commissioner CDA’s hands. He must coordinate with the relevant departments, submit an updated report on who physically holds the land, and move to retrieve it while stopping further occupation. NAB’s involvement means the process will stay under the accountability watchdog’s eye.
Where is the 898 kanals of land?
The land is in Mouza Shah Allah Ditta, Islamabad. It was acquired for a landfill and controlled dumping site but is allegedly under illegal occupation.
Who ordered the recovery?
CDA Member Estate Muhammad Zaman Wattoo issued the directions in an official letter dated October 15, 2026, after NAB’s Islamabad/Rawalpindi region raised concerns on October 8.
Has wrongdoing been proven?
No. The allegations remain subject to inquiry and have not been established as findings of wrongdoing.
