Why isn’t DHA Gujranwala moving forward?

The property file trade in DHA Gujranwala, a chapter of DHA Lahore, has been going on for the last two years even though the project is still awaiting its official launch. I couldn’t get my hands on anything concrete while I was researching for the supposed reasons of this slow, almost dead activity. Even real estate agents with an Army background don’t have much information on why the launch hasn’t taken place yet.

I do know that the land acquisition for DHA Gujranwala’s Phase I has faced issues such as a very high per acre asking price and, in some cases, complete refusal to sell land. DHA was previously offering 58 marla land against every one acre of agricultural land it bought, which was later brought down to 48 marlas. This has put off a lot of land owners who have collectively refused to sell their land to the authorised DHA investors in Gujranwala.

For Phase I, DHA Gujranwala had initially planned to acquire 1,500 acres of land. Per the latest details, the authority has around 1,800 acres cleared and transferred in DHA’s name. However, a land pocket of approximately 150 acres on main GT Road, just by the proposed entrance point of the project, hasn’t been acquired. Such a large land pocket located at the face of Phase I is believed to the main reason why DHA hasn’t been able to move ahead with the official launch and planning.

Yet, I believe DHA Gujranwala can move forward with these issues pending because land pockets usually cannot halt a project of this scale. After all, issues such as these haven’t stopped DHA from moving ahead with its project development plan in Lahore, as many phases there have land pockets. Even the recently balloted Prism IX, which will see its official groundbreaking this month, has several villages and small settlements in many sectors.

So, to overcome this, the main entrance of DHA Gujranwala can be moved a little further on GT Road. And, needless to say, the landowners can be offered a better deal in terms of money as well as increased number of marla against every acre of land.

In the past, every time DHA faced such issues, the final verdict was often given in favour of the complainants and not DHA. According to sources that requested anonymity, DHA has now asked its registered investors to deal with the respective landowners collectively so they realise that they don’t have many options left. This pressure tactic hasn’t worked in the last couple of months and I am not sure if it will work right now.

As one of the largest real estate developers of the country, DHA needs to stop being so rigid and take decisions that can benefit its projects and investors in the longer run. Keeping the interests of farmers secure is also a responsibility of DHA if it plans to continue its ventures in all cities of Pakistan. Such a strict approach is not expected from DHA, which enjoys a reputation that rests on fair principles.

I request the officials concerned to look into the matters that are halting the official launch and groundbreaking of DHA Gujranwala. Let’s get this project going!