News
CDA Plans Phased Launch of G.T. Road Commercial Scheme, Eyes Over Rs500bn in Revenue
By Mariam Khan
Real Estate Analyst
4 min read
The Capital Development Authority is preparing to open a large commercial area along G.T. Road, a project officials say could earn the civic body more than Rs500 billion. Chairman Sohail Ashraf has instructed relevant teams to move ahead with the scheme, which is likely to launch in the coming months. CDA acquired the land in 1967, and it spans 3,550 kanals along a 16 kilometre stretch from EME College to Nicholson Monument, covering a 200 foot wide strip on both sides of the road, with about 2,000 kanals estimated usable after planning. Officials say plots would be released gradually rather than all at once, and a four member design committee headed by Deputy Director General Architecture Ali Abdullah has been set up to finalise the layout.
Why Nearly Six Decades Between Acquisition and Launch Is the Central Story Here
CDA acquired this land back in 1967, and the fact that a commercial scheme of this scale is only now being prepared for launch, nearly sixty years later, is itself the most striking element of this report. This long gap, during which the land sat largely unsecured until enforcement action began only in 2025, frames this less as a routine new project announcement and more as the long delayed activation of a asset CDA has held for generations without developing.
Why the Rs500bn Revenue Estimate Rests on an Assumption Worth Testing
The projected more than Rs500 billion in revenue is built on a stated base rate of Rs750,000 per square yard, from which officials calculate roughly Rs500 million per kanal, applied across an estimated 2,000 usable kanals. This is a projection based on a specific assumed base rate rather than a confirmed sale price, and actual realised revenue will depend on whether plots sell at or above this assumed rate once the scheme is formally launched and plots are released, particularly given the gradual release approach officials have described.
Why the Enforcement Drive Was the Necessary Precondition for This Launch
CDA's own history with this land shows it did little to secure the site until 2025, when a major enforcement operation led by the then Deputy Director General Enforcement recovered a considerable share, with another operation still under way and over 100 permanent buildings marked for demolition. This enforcement drive, including addressing heavy machinery dealers in Tarnol using the land for parking, is not incidental background but the direct precondition that made this commercial scheme launch possible in the first place, and its completion remains an ongoing rather than finished process.
Why Interior Ministry Backing Adds Institutional Weight Beyond CDA Alone
Reported backing from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for CDA's efforts to reclaim this state land signals support reaching beyond CDA's own leadership, which can matter considerably for a project requiring sustained enforcement against established encroachment and ongoing commercial use of the land by machinery dealers. This kind of higher level institutional backing increases the likelihood that the enforcement and demolition activity needed to fully clear the site will continue through to completion rather than stalling partway.
Why Fuel Station Demand and NHA's Road Expansion Are a Meaningful Secondary Detail
Officials expect strong demand for fuel stations along this corridor, a detail made more significant by NHA's concurrent work adding land to the road itself, since improved road capacity directly ahead of a major new commercial scheme launch tends to reinforce commercial viability along the corridor. This NHA–CDA overlap suggests the G.T. Road corridor is seeing coordinated infrastructure and commercial development activity rather than the commercial scheme proceeding in isolation from the road's own expansion.
What This Means for Investors, Developers and Nearby Property Owners
Investors and developers interested in this scheme should watch for the finalised design from the four member planning committee and the specific terms of the gradual plot release, since neither the final layout nor confirmed pricing has been settled at this stage despite the Rs750,000 per square yard base rate assumption being used for revenue projections. Property owners and businesses currently operating along this stretch of G.T. Road, including those affected by the marked demolitions, should treat the ongoing enforcement operation as still active and watch for how CDA's scheme launch timeline and the land clearance process proceed together over the coming months.