ISLAMABAD: A much-hyped initiative to sell plots in the underdeveloped Sector C-14 has backfired, as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) managed to sell only 68 plots despite repeated efforts and sequential offers to wait-listed applicants.
What the incumbent CDA management hailed last year as a “tremendous response” to the balloting of 236 plots proved misplaced when many successful applicants failed to deposit even their first installment.
The CDA had offered one-kanal plots at a fixed price of Rs 60 million in C-14, located in the Margalla foothills along the newly built Margalla Road.
The balloting, held in November 2025, drew 537 applications from overseas Pakistanis and 1,156 from local citizens. Preference was given to overseas Pakistanis, and NADRA conducted the balloting, providing a list of 236 successful applicants and placing 301 on a waiting list.
However, only 35 applicants deposited dues within the initial deadline. The CDA then offered plots to people on the waiting list but still failed to attract an overwhelming response. By the close of the payment window in December 2025, only 68 applicants had paid their installments, leaving the management embarrassed.
Sources said most of the plots sold were prime-location ones corner and park-facing while those allotted lower-market-value plots ignored CDA’s repeated requests to submit installments.
A senior official alleged that a flawed sales mechanism allowed allotment rights to be created against a token deposit of just $50. According to the official, only those who drew highly prized plots paid up, while the rest showed little interest, exposing the authority to financial loss.
Sources have called for a high-level probe to determine the reasons for the failure and to scrutinize the entire allotment process.
In background discussions, stakeholders contended that CDA’s poor sector-development record was a key factor behind the flop. They noted that the authority has rarely completed sector development within deadlines.
Notably, Sector E-12—launched in 1989—remains incomplete 36 years later, with allottees still waiting. Similarly, development in C-15, C-16, I-15, and I-12 has dragged on for years without completion.
When contacted, Director Public Relations Shahid Kiani said he would respond after checking with the concerned formation, but no response was received by the time this report was filed.
