City and District Real Estate News

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is considering a ground-plus-one-storey design for the historic Siraj Covered Market in G-6, following a hearing attended by the leaseholder, local residents and CDA representatives. The proposal also allows a lower-ground level and a basement for parking.

A CDA official said the matter would be placed before the authority’s Board for final approval. The minutes of the latest hearing have not yet been issued, so the proposed design has not been formally approved.
The market was originally built by the CDA as a single-storey, inward-facing structure and leased to Sirajuddin and others in 1966. The first lease term was 30 years, followed by a second term that ended in October 2026.

In 2007, the CDA changed the building rules to allow a multi-storey structure on the site. The leaseholder demolished the original market, but residents challenged the redevelopment and took the matter to the Supreme Court. The court restrained the authority from changing the bylaws, and the plot has since remained vacant.
The CDA later considered several redevelopment options, including a larger multi-storey building. Residents opposed those plans, and the authority held consultations before revisiting the proposal.

The latest plan reflects the outcome of those discussions, but it will take effect only if approved by the CDA Board.

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has invited objections to applications for duplicate exemption letters for seven plots in its housing schemes, according to a public notice published in Dunya on November 10.

One application concerns Plot 381 in Block D, Johar Town. The original exemption letter, reference JT/AP-363-M1, dated April 13, 1995, has reportedly been lost. The LDA has asked any person or institution with an objection to submit it within seven days of the notice’s publication. Objections received after the deadline will not be considered.
The notice also lists six plots covered by the LDA’s procedure for duplicate exemption letters relating to documents issued before June 30, 1999. These are Plot 126 in Block F, Gulshan-e-Ravi; Plot 542 in Block C, Faisal Town; Plots 437 in Nargis Block, 34 in Chenab Block and 172 in Badar Block, Allama Iqbal Town; and Plot 928 in Shadman.

The LDA said objections concerning any of the listed plots should be submitted in writing to the Deputy Director (Exemption), Lahore Development Authority, 467-D-II, Main Boulevard, Muhammad Ali Johar Town, Lahore.

The procedure follows the authority’s policy on older documents and its standard operating procedure issued on October 30, 2015.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) says more than 60 percent of development work in Islamabad’s Sector E-12 has been completed, as construction progresses across its four sub-sectors following the recovery of 1,135 kanals of government land. In a press release issued on November 6, the authority said work was being accelerated under the directions of CDA Chairman and Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf.

In E-12/4, earthwork has been completed, while construction of the road base and sub-base, along with the drainage system, is underway. Earthwork has also been completed on the Khayaban-e-Iqbal Service Road and the South and East service roads.
Progress is continuing in the other sub-sectors. In E-12/3, TST work has been completed in 15 streets, while earthwork and base construction are in progress in the remaining streets. In both E-12/1 and E-12/2, TST work has been completed in 25 streets, with work continuing on the remaining roads. Ashraf said the authority was removing obstacles to the sector’s development in accordance with the law. He said 1,135 kanals of government land, valued at billions of rupees, had been recovered after about four decades and that encroachments on public land would not be tolerated.

The CDA chairman said completing development work in E-12 and other sectors remained a priority, with available resources being used to speed up construction. The authority said the project would improve residential facilities and help meet Islamabad’s growing housing needs.

The Margalla Avenue Extension project in Islamabad is expected to be completed within the next few weeks, several months ahead of its official April deadline, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said during an inspection of the site near Sangjani.

Mohsin Naqvi visited the project late Thursday and reviewed construction progress with the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Islamabad Inspector General of Police and senior technical officials. The CDA chairman briefed him on the work underway and the remaining construction activities. Work at the site includes piling for the proposed interchange bridge, foundation excavation and construction of retaining and abutment walls.

Teams are also carrying out earthworks and preparing the road’s sub-base. The CDA is relocating utility lines and clearing construction sites to resume work in areas affected by land-related and technical issues.
The extension is intended to improve traffic movement and strengthen links between Islamabad and the motorway network.

Mohsin Naqvi said the new interchange would make travel easier for commuters arriving from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and for passengers heading to Islamabad International Airport.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has directed the National Highway Foundation (NHF) to publish a public notice about proposed changes to the layout plan of Jinnah Town Housing Scheme in Islamabad’s Zone 5. The authority said it would proceed further with the application after the notice is published in one leading English-language and one leading Urdu-language national newspaper.

The NHF had requested approval of the amended plan through letters dated September 4 and September 24, 2026. The CDA’s Planning Wing is examining the application, but the authority has not yet approved the revised layout plan. In its letter, the CDA said the public notice must follow the format set out in Annex L of the regulations governing private housing, farm housing, apartment and commercial schemes in Zones 2, 4 and 5 of the Islamabad Capital Territory. These regulations were framed under the ICT Zoning Regulations, 1992. The scheme’s sponsor will pay the cost of publishing the notice.

The CDA has also circulated the letter to relevant departments, including its Information Technology Directorate, with instructions to upload the public notice to the authority’s official website. The letter was issued with the approval of the Director General of Spatial Planning and the Director of Housing Societies.
The public-notice requirement is a procedural step in the CDA’s review. The available information does not specify the proposed changes to the layout plan or a timeline for a decision on the NHF’s application.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq visited Pine Axes and Pine Executive in LDA City and reviewed ongoing development work at both projects. He said Pine Axes, located at a prominent site on Pine Avenue, would become a new commercial centre for the city. Pine Executive, he added, was being developed as a residential project offering one-kanal plots.

Officials briefed the DG that public interest in both projects was increasing. Plots in Pine Axes and Pine Executive have been launched in the market. The first phase includes 8-marla and 2-kanal commercial plots in Pine Axes, as well as one-kanal residential plots in Pine Executive.

Tahir Farooq said the plots, located on Pine Avenue, would be allotted through balloting on a two-year instalment plan. The deadline to apply for the balloting is December 3. Applicants can submit their applications online through the LDA website.

Following the visit, Farooq chaired a meeting on development work and land acquisition in LDA City. Additional DG UP, the LDA chief engineer, the director of LDA City, Chief Town Planner-II, the director of auctions, the director of engineering for LDA City and other relevant officials attended.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has introduced new procedures for verifying plot files and processing property-related applications, directing officials to avoid checks that lack clear justification and cause delays for applicants.

An official notification issued by the Office of the Member (Estate) on November 5 said the Land and Rehabilitation Directorate had initiated plot file verification in some cases without sufficient grounds. The CDA said this practice could delay case processing and cause inconvenience to applicants. Under the new directions, verification of a plot file’s genuineness may only be initiated after prior approval from the Director General (Land and Estate Management).

The notification also directs the director general to set and publicise clear timelines for completing plot file verifications, processing applications for No Demand Certificates (NDCs) and handling other property-related matters at the relevant desks. The CDA said files should preferably not remain pending at any single desk for more than three days. The measures are intended to improve administrative efficiency, ensure cases are decided on time and reduce avoidable delays in the Estate Wing.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the Kashmir Chowk Underpass in Islamabad on Thursday, opening a Rs 1.45 billion project designed to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

The 500-metre underpass was completed in 27 days through round-the-clock construction, the prime minister said at the inauguration ceremony. He congratulated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), project officials and contractors on the rapid completion.
The wider development includes a four-kilometre road network, two monuments and thousands of newly planted trees.

Shehbaz Sharif said the project would improve traffic flow around Kashmir Chowk, particularly as Islamabad prepares to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference next year.
The prime minister also said the project was completed transparently and in accordance with government procurement rules. Its final cost was 2.5 per cent below the estimated amount, he added.

The Quetta Development Authority (QDA) has scheduled a public auction of 394 commercial plots from November 16 to 18, with properties available in Link Sariab Road, Zarghoon Housing Scheme and several locations in Hazar Ganji.

According to the auction notice, proceedings will run from 10am to 4pm at the QDA venue on Sariab Road. The plots are divided across seven categories, with reserve prices ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 20,000 per square foot.

On November 16, QDA will offer 15 plots on Link Sariab Road at a reserve price of Rs 20,000 per square foot, 26 plots in Zarghoon Housing Scheme at Rs 6,000 per square foot, and 50 commercial plots in Hazar Ganji at Rs 8,000 per square foot.
The November 17 auction will include 40 plots at the Hazar Ganji bus stand, priced at Rs 5,000 per square foot, and 212 plots in the Hazar Ganji garage complex, with a reserve price of Rs 2,000 per square foot.

On the final day, 27 plots at the Hazar Ganji builders centre will be offered at Rs 1,500 per square foot, while 24 plots in the Hazar Ganji oil-tanker area will have a reserve price of Rs 1,000 per square foot.
Interested bidders must pay a non-refundable registration fee of Rs 10,000 and submit a call deposit equal to 20% of the plot’s total reserve value.

Successful bidders will be required to pay 25% of the accepted bid as a down payment, with the remaining amount payable in instalments over two years. The notice also specifies a 5% EWF charge, applicable government taxes and execution of an agreement on stamp paper within 15 days of receiving the allotment order.

QDA has reserved the right to reject any or all bids without assigning a reason. Prospective participants can seek further details from the authority’s Director Estate Commercial.