Wikipedia

Capital Development Authority (Islamabad)

Capital Development Authority (Urdu: وفاقی ترقیاتی ادارہ, abbreviated as CDA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for providing municipal services in Islamabad Capital Territory. The CDA was established on 14 June 1960 by an executive order entitled Pakistan Capital Regulation. As of 2016, most of CDA's municipal services and departments have been transferred to the newly created Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation. However, the CDA is still in charge of estate management, project execution and sector developments.[1]

Capital Development Authority
وفاقی ترقیاتی ادارہ
Public benefit corporation overview
Formed14 June 1960; 64 years ago (1960-06-14)
JurisdictionIslamabad Capital Territory
HeadquartersG-7/4, Islamabad
Employees13,000
Annual budgetRs. 91.73 billion (2024–2025)
Minister responsible
  • Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of Interior
Public benefit corporation executive
Key documents
Websitecda.gov.pk
Footnotes
Board: Chairman and Six Members and a labour union leader who works as a collective bargaining agent.
Road sign, Islamabad

History

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Islamabad Clock.

The organization initially came into being through an executive order but was later superseded by CDA Ordinance issued on June 27 1960.[2] Major General Yahya Khan was designated as the first Chairman on 21 June 1960.[3] The Capital Development Authority developed the CDA Model School in Islamabad in 1970. It is one of the oldest civic organizations in Pakistan and it was created with the aim to develop and maintain the capital city.[4]

Responsibilities and services

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  • Act as Regulatory Authority
    • Building Code Standards.
    • Environment Standards.
    • Public Safety Standards.
  • Maintenance
    • Local Roads Maintenance and Repair Work.
    • Public Infrastructure Maintenance.
    • Garbage Collection
    • Dog Shooting
  • Developer and Planner
    • Further expansion of Islamabad, Future planning
    • Township

List of Chairmen

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The Government of Pakistan appoints the CDA chairman through its Establishment Division. As of 2024, the chairman also serves as the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory. According to the CDA Ordinance, the chairman of the board is appointed for four years.[5]

No. Name Tenure start Tenure end Tenure Ref
1 Maj Gen Yahya Khan 21 June 1960 30 November 1961 1 year, 162 days [3]
2 W.A Sheikh, CSP 1 December 1961 30 April 1965 3 years, 150 days [3]
3 N.A Farooqi, HQA, CSP 1 May 1965 30 November 1965 213 days [3]
4 Lt Gen K.M. Sheikh, HI(M) 30 December 1967 15 March 1970 2 years, 75 days [3]
5 Maj Gen Bashir Ahmed 16 March 1970 27 August 1972 2 years, 164 days [3]
6 Brigadier Riaz-ul-Haq 28 August 1972 17 May 1973 262 days [3]
7 M.A Kazmi 18 May 1973 27 July 1979 6 years, 70 days [3]
8 S.A N. Gardezi 28 July 1979 1 May 1983 3 years, 277 days [3]
9 Jan Nadir Khan 2 May 1983 1 May 1984 365 days [3]
10 Mazhar Rafi 2 May 1984 9 May 1989 5 years, 7 days [3]
11 Syed Munir Hussain 10 July 1989 29 December 1989 172 days [3]
12 Iqbal Jaffar 30 December 1989 20 August 1990 233 days [3]
13 F.I Malik 21 August 1990 5 June 1991 288 days [3]
14 Fareed-ud-Din Ahmad 6 June 1991 20 October 1993 2 years, 136 days [3]
15 Muhammad Saeed Mahdi 21 October 1993 21 October 1994 1 year, 0 days [3]
16 Shafi M. Sehwani 22 October 1994 8 October 1995 351 days [3]
17 Muhammad Zaffar Iqbal 9 July 1995 5 November 1996 1 year, 119 days [3]
18 M. Javed Masud 6 November 1996 4 May 1998 1 year, 179 days [3]
19 Ch Qamar Zaman 5 May 1998 26 November 1999 1 year, 205 days [3]
20 Khalid Saeed 27 November 1999 16 September 2001 1 year, 293 days [3]
21 Mir Laiq Shah 17 September 2001 1 May 2003 1 year, 226 days [3]
22 Abdur Rauf Chaudhary 2 May 2003 9 November 2003 191 days [3]
23 Kamran Lashari 10 November 2003 8 October 2008 4 years, 333 days [3]
24 Tariq Mahmood Khan 8 October 2008 24 June 2009 259 days [3]
25 Imtiaz Inayat Ellahi 24 June 2009 9 December 2011 2 years, 168 days [3]
26 Engr Farkhand Iqbal 8 December 2011 1 October 2012 298 days [6]
27 Javed Iqbal Awan 1 October 2012 2 October 2012 1 day [6]
28 Syed Tahir Shahbaz 2 October 2012 16 March 2013 165 days [7]
29 Nadeem Hassan Asif 21 June 2013 7 December 2013 169 days [8]
30 Maroof Afzal 17 December 2013 22 August 2016 2 years, 249 days [9]
31 Hassan Iqbal 22 August 2016 6 September 2016 15 days [10]
32 Sheikh Ansar Aziz 6 September 2016 29 December 2017 1 year, 114 days [11]
33 Usman Akhtar Bajwa 26 January 2018 29 June 2018 154 days [12]
34 Ishrat Ali 29 June 2018 1 September 2018 64 days [13]
35 Afzal Latif 1 September 2018 17 January 2019 138 days [14]
36 Amir Ali Ahmed 17 January 2019 22 August 2022 3 years, 217 days [15]
37 Capt (r) Muhammad Usman Younis 22 August 2022 23 January 2023 154 days [16]
38 Capt (r) Noorul Amin Mengal 23 January 2023 24 August 2023 213 days [17]
39 Capt (r) Anwarul Haq 24 August 2023 1 May 2024 251 days [18]
40 Muhammad Ali Randhawa 2 May 2024 Incumbent 204 days [19]

Collaborations

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During 2024, Capital Development Authority in collaboration with Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) launched "Throw and Grow" initiative to promote the green cover of Margalla hills.[20] In another collaboration, The Embassy of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Pakistan decided to provide support to CDA in renovating and adding new facilities to one of the parks existing in Islamabad.[21] In another move, CDA joined hands with OGDCL for landscaping and tree plantation drive in the city. The project is expected to improve the aesthetic appeal of Islamabad Expressway while also contributing to better air quality through more plantation.[22]

In 2023, CDA collaborated with Niaz Support to provide custom wheelchairs to their employees with disabilities and their family members living with disability.[23] In order to address the water shortage problems, CDA officials conducted meetings with WAPDA officials for construction of Dotara Dam and decided to collaborate for this project with the CDA intending to fund the project.[24]

According to a statement issued in March 2022, PTCL Group and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) entered into a strategic partnership to drive the digitalization of services provided by CDA. As per agreement, PTCL will deliver digital solutions to support various sectors within CDA Islamabad, including the administration, Excise and Taxation, and Islamabad Police. The partnership will initially introduce 12 key solutions, such as mobility services, call center setup, video conferencing, cloud services, complaint management systems, street lighting, and fleet management.[25][26]

U Microfinance Bank collaborated with CDA in year 2021 to plant the largest Miyawaki Forest of Islamabad in Kachnar park. During the campaign, around 6000 trees were planted on 1.5 acres of land. The collaboration was aimed at mitigating the devastating effects of deforestation and land degradation in Pakistan.[27] Later on, in another collaboration with Mari Petroleum, largest Miyawaki Forest of the city was launched in sector H-12 of Islamabad. Initially over 20,000 tree saplings were planted with the plantation to continue gradually. The forest is spreaded over an area of 17 acres having various species of plants.[28][29]

In year 2017, CDA launched healthy city programme in collaboration with WHO country office in Pakistan. The programme was aimed at addressing inequalities and targetting needs of vulnerable groups.[30]

During 2016, CDA partnered up with Serena Hotels to launch spring tree plantation drive. The launch event was attended by diplomats from various countries, officials from Government and corporate executives.[31]

Achievements

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During an anti-encroachment drive, CDA was able to recover as much as 700 kanals of land from land grabbers in sector I-12 of Islamabad. The said land was illegally encroached by Afghan settlers due to which CDA launched a comprehensive campaign to retrieve the encroached land.[32][33] In another successful move, CDA recovered 350 kanals of land in sector I-15 of Islamabad after 16 years of illegal occupation by land mafia.[34]

In order to address the water availability issues, CDA established upto 100 rainwater rechargeable wells in different localities of Islamabad. The project is aimed at conservation of rainwater to improve the underground water level in the city. These wells are designed with a filtration system to keep the water safe from pollutants while revitalising the groundwater. As informed by officials of CDA, more than one million gallon of rainwater has been saved from establishing rechargeable wells.[35][36]

In order to reduce maintenance cost and to adopt energy efficient solutions, CDA replaced 21,000 street light bulbs with LED lights. The lights have been replaced on major roads and avenues in Islamabad.[37]

Over the years, the CDA has also completed some major infrastructure projects aimed at addressing the traffic congestion issue in the city. Some of the major infrastructure projects completed include construction of 7th Avenue at a cost of PKR 900 million,[38] construction of Zero Point Interchange on Islamabad Expressway in year 2011 at a cost of PKR 4.1 Billion,[39] Peshawar Morr Interchange on Srinagar Highway at a cost of PKR 6.5 Billion in year 2016,[40] and Rawal Dam chowk flyover on Murree Road at cost of PKR 1.1 Billion in year 2022.[41] In another development, CDA inaugurated 7th Avenue interchange in year 2022 built at a cost of PKR 1.7 billion.[42] These infrastructure projects have helped in reducing traffic congestion on major roads and junctions in Islamabad specially during rush hours.

To preserve the history of Islamabad and to promote culture and tourism, CDA developed Saidpur village, more than 300 years old village, into a model village restoring its outlook. The village carries structures of Mandir, Church, and a Gurdwara.[2]

Controversies

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Main article: Persecution of Christians § Pakistan

Since 2014, the CDA has been targeting and demolishing illegal slums who are largely occupied by Christians in Islamabad. The Supreme Court put on hold the demolitions and ordered from the CDA a written justification to it. The CDA's replied that "most of these katchi abadis [slums] are under the occupation of the Christian community." "It seems this pace of occupation of land by Christian community may increase. Removal of katchi abadies is very urgent to provide [a] better environment to the citizen[s] of Islamabad and to protect the beauty of Islamabad." Various human rights activists condemned the response.[43][44][45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Anis, Muhammad (2 March 2016). "70% CDA employees to be transferred to Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation". The Nation. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b Ali, Mamoon (2022-08-30). "All About Capital Development Authority (CDA)". A blog about real estate, lifestyle and tourism in Pakistan | Zameen Blog. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Ex-Chairmen of CDA".
  4. ^ "CDA-History". www.cda.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  5. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (2021-07-04). "Amer Ali Ahmed appointed permanent CDA chief". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  6. ^ a b "New CDA chairman: City boss Farkhand Iqbal removed". 2 October 2012.
  7. ^ Teepu, Imran Ali (2013-03-16). "Another change of guard in CDA". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  8. ^ our.correspondent (2013-06-20). "Postings: Nadeem Hasan Asif appointed new CDA chairman". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-16. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Postings and transfers: Capital's civic body finally gets new boss". The Express Tribune. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  10. ^ Reporter, A. (2016-08-23). "CDA chief removed from office". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  11. ^ Asad, Malik (2017-12-30). "Mayor's appointment as CDA chairman declared illegal". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  12. ^ "Usman Akhtar Bajwa appointed new CDA chief". The Express Tribune. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  13. ^ "CDA gets a new chief". The Express Tribune. 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  14. ^ "Govt appoints Afzal Latif as CDA chief". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  15. ^ "Amir to hold CDA chief office where his father once served". The Nation. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  16. ^ Report, Recorder (2022-08-23). "Capt Usman made CDA Chairman". Brecorder. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  17. ^ Asad, Malik (2023-01-24). "CDA chairman shown the door". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  18. ^ Desk (Lahore), Web (2023-08-24). "Capt (r) Anwarul Haq gets additional charge of CDA Chairman". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  19. ^ "Randhawa appointed as CDA chairman". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  20. ^ desk, News (2024-07-28). "Throw and Grow: PTC and CDA join forces to enhance Margalla hills' greenery". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 2024-10-23. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  21. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (2024-08-29). "UAE embassy to partner with CDA for park renovation". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  22. ^ "OGDCL has collaborated with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for landscaping and tree plantation | OGDCL". ogdcl.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  23. ^ Daily Times. "CDA, Niaz Support partner to improve mobility of disable workers". Daily Times. Daily Times. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  24. ^ Masood, Iqra (2023-10-17). "CDA, WAPDA Collaborate for Dotara Dam- Zameen News". Pakistan Real Estate News & Pakistan Property News & Latest Updates - Zameen News. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  25. ^ "PTCL, CDA partner for digitalisation". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  26. ^ Rizvi, Kazim Raza (2022-03-21). "PTCL Group & CDA collaborate for Turnkey Solutions". CustomsNews.pk Daily. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  27. ^ "U Microfinance Bank & CDA join hands to plant the largest Miyawaki Forest in Islamabad". ubank.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  28. ^ "Islamabad's largest Miyawaki Forest launched". gulfnews.com. 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  29. ^ "CDA is building world's largest Urban Miyawaki Forest in Islamabad". City 2 Marketing. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  30. ^ Reporter, A. (2017-11-11). "Islamabad to be Pakistan's first 'healthy city'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  31. ^ "BR-ePaper | Mar 12, 2016 | Page National News Page 8". epaper.brecorder.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  32. ^ "CDA retrieves 700 kanals land in Sector I-12". 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  33. ^ Administrator (2023-10-16). "CDA's Crackdown Reclaims 750 Kanals Land In Sector I-12". ThePenPK. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  34. ^ "Government land in Islamabad recovered after 16 years in anti-encroachment drive". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  35. ^ "Chairman CDA inaugurated the rainwater rechargeable well – PPI News Agency". 2024-10-26. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  36. ^ azeem, muhammad (2023-01-10). "Rainwater rechargeable well inaugurated". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  37. ^ our.correspondent (2017-02-26). "CDA installs 21,000 LED street lights in capital". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-10-27. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  38. ^ Iqbal, Atif (2008-07-01). "Islamabad: CDA's enduring love affair with 7th Avenue". eProperty®. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  39. ^ azam.khan (2011-07-03). "Complete at last: CDA to inaugurate Zero Point Interchange, Lehtrar Road". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  40. ^ "Asia's biggest Interchange: Peshawar Morr nearly - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  41. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (2022-08-01). "Rawal Dam flyover expected to open in a week". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  42. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (2022-10-26). "7th Avenue interchange ready for inauguaration". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  43. ^ Ghani, Faras (14 Dec 2015). "Islamabad's Christian slums face demolition". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  44. ^ "Islamabad's Christian slum dwellers pray for Christmas miracle". The Express Tribune. Islamabad. 25 December 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  45. ^ Sandhu, Serina (14 December 2015). "Plans to demolish Christian-majority slums in Islamabad put on hold by Supreme Court". The Independent. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
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