Islamabad: The failure of public sector housing projects in Islamabad has created a vacuum in the housing market, driving desperate home-seekers towards private housing societies.
This has led to a rapid and largely unregulated expansion of private residential schemes in Islamabad.
Despite being tasked with providing affordable housing to citizens, public housing agencies like the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) and Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF) have faced severe criticism for project delays, inefficiency and a lack of transparency.
Their shortcomings have created an opportunity for private developers to flourish, often selling costly plots and delivering possession in a fraction of the time. Among the most glaring examples of delay is the FGEHA’s Green Enclave-I in Bhara Kahu, launched in 2009 on a "first-come, first-served" basis.
Over a decade later, many of the 3,282 allottees are still waiting. Green Enclave-II, later renamed Sky Garden Housing Scheme, adds another 29,427 registered government employees to the long list of frustrated allottees awaiting possession.
The F-14/15 housing project, initiated in 2015 on the basis of age-wise seniority, has similarly seen negligible development despite its 6,746 plots. The Park Road Housing Scheme in the villages of Tamma and Morian, with 4,781 plots, has also failed to move forward meaningfully. The PHAF has fared no better.
Jamshed Rehman, an allottee in PHAF’s Sector I-12/1 apartments project, noted that the construction of 3,200 units has progressed at a “snail’s pace,” creating deep frustration among prospective residents.
"Years have passed but the construction is nowhere near completion," he lamented. The CDA’s record is even more dismal. Sector E-12, launched in 1989, remains incomplete after more than three decades.
“Many allottees have died without ever seeing the completion of their dream homes,” said Ateeq Sheikh, an allottee of the sector. “They only wanted a roof over their heads, but that dream never materialised.” Sector I-12 tells a similar tale. Shahid Maqbool, one of the allottees, criticised the CDA’s performance. “Private developers continue to deliver projects with remarkable speed and efficiency. They hand over possession in just a couple of years, while CDA projects take a lifetime. It’s unacceptable.”
Muhammad Masood Ilyas, another CDA allottee, accused housing authorities of exploiting people’s aspirations. “These agencies are profiting at the expense of the lower middle class without delivering the promised shelter.”
Tabraiz Awan, who did not get possession of his plot for over a decade in CDA’s housing sector, complained that public housing schemes, primarily intended to serve lower and middle-income government employees, had been plagued by lethargy, corruption and bureaucratic red tape.