CDA Board Approves Record Rs152bn Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Board has approved a record budget of Rs152 billion for fiscal year 2026-27, the largest budget in the authority’s history, with a major portion allocated for development projects.

The CDA budget includes Rs112 billion for new and ongoing development projects and Rs40 billion for non-development expenditures. The board meeting was chaired by CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf.

The budget documents show that the CDA expects total revenue of Rs152.5 billion during the fiscal year. About 74 per cent of the revenue is expected to come from the authority’s own financial resources, 19 per cent from revenue collections and seven per cent from the opening balance.

Of the development allocation, Rs55 billion has been earmarked for 26 priority projects, Rs16 billion for 63 new projects and Rs13.5 billion for 246 ongoing projects. The new projects include sector development, infrastructure, sewerage and Metro Bus-related works.

The CDA has also allocated Rs7 billion for settlement of outstanding liabilities, while Rs19 billion has been set aside under various other heads. Overall, 74 per cent of the budget has been allocated for development projects, 24 per cent for non-development expenditures and two per cent for the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad.

The CDA had initially set a budget of Rs90.2 billion for the previous fiscal year, which was later revised to Rs81 billion. The new Rs152 billion budget is therefore around 68 per cent higher than last year’s original allocation.

The CDA’s revenue remains heavily dependent on the auction of commercial and residential plots, as the authority has faced difficulties in developing other sustainable sources of income.

Meanwhile, the CDA Board also approved the bid for Package-II of the solid waste management contract. Under the four-year contract, waste collection and transportation to the Losar landfill site in Rawalpindi, along with sanitation services in Islamabad, will be outsourced.

The board also approved the allocation of an additional 10 acres of land for the Danish School at Kuri. The land will be acquired using outstanding funds owed by the federal government to the CDA.