Need stressed to revise capital’s master plan
Deputy mayor says revision linked to development, population growth
Deputy mayor says revision linked to development, population growth. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
With the population of the federal capital more than doubling over the past 20 years along with a corresponding mushrooming growth of housing schemes and other structures, a need has been stressed to revise the master plan of the city.
This was stated by Islamabad’s Deputy Mayor Zeeshan Ali Naqvi on Wednesday who noted that the revision was linked with the future planning of urbanization and the numerous development and population issues which the city faces.
Speaking to APP, the deputy mayor regretted that the master plan of the metropolis has not been revised for the past 60 years.
However, he said that the local government, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) was hamstrung in this regard since the master plan was the purview of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and were responsible for revising the plan. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan has now directed the CDA to revise the plan.
“Islamabad was the face of Pakistan and during the ‘60s. Its master plan was designed to accommodate 600,000 inhabitants,” Naqvi said.
Acknowledging that there were several challenges to convert the capital into a model city, Naqvi was optimistic that the objective can be achieved.
Blaming past policies and bureaucratic red-tapism as the main hurdles to revising the plan previously, the deputy mayor said that if an earnest effort is made, then the task can be completed within three months.
Naqvi said the population of Islamabad was showing a gradual increase with the passage of time, having jumped from just 805,235 in 1998 to 2.07 million in the census conducted last year, betraying an average annual population growth rate of 4.91 per cent.
Replying to a question about water availability in the capital or lack thereof, the deputy mayor said that there was a need to set up rubber dams or small reservoirs in the city which can store rainwater to overcome the water shortage in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
To better address the problem, he said that the IMC will conduct a survey in this regard.
Asked about development works in some of the neglected sectors of the city, the deputy mayor again threw his hands up and said that it was the responsibility of the CDA to payment the land affectees to secure possession of the land. He underlined resumption of fast-paced development work in these sectors.
Not in the master plan: ‘Who granted permission for housing schemes?’
He also extended his full support to CDA for settling long-standing land issues in this regard.
Naqvi also appreciated the government for taking on the menace of illegal encroachment, especially in the federal capital and said that ongoing drive should continue without any discrimination.
Meanwhile, the IMC has issued a public notice to the residents of areas along the Simly Dam Road, particularly of union councils (UC) seven and eight — Pind Bugwal and Tumair respectively, to disconnect all illegal water connections from the main Simly conduction lines.
Residents have been given until December 3 to remove their illegal connections. Failing which, the authority warned that an operation will be conducted to disconnect these illegal pipelines syphoning off the water.
“The expenditure incurred in this regard will be recovered as risk and cost of those who will not remove these illegal and unauthorised connections under the prevailing laws and rules of the IMC local administration, Islamabad besides registration of cases for theft of water,” the notice read.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2018.
With the population of the federal capital more than doubling over the past 20 years along with a corresponding mushrooming growth of housing schemes and other structures, a need has been stressed to revise the master plan of the city.
This was stated by Islamabad’s Deputy Mayor Zeeshan Ali Naqvi on Wednesday who noted that the revision was linked with the future planning of urbanization and the numerous development and population issues which the city faces.
Speaking to APP, the deputy mayor regretted that the master plan of the metropolis has not been revised for the past 60 years.
However, he said that the local government, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) was hamstrung in this regard since the master plan was the purview of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and were responsible for revising the plan. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan has now directed the CDA to revise the plan.
“Islamabad was the face of Pakistan and during the ‘60s. Its master plan was designed to accommodate 600,000 inhabitants,” Naqvi said.
Acknowledging that there were several challenges to convert the capital into a model city, Naqvi was optimistic that the objective can be achieved.
Blaming past policies and bureaucratic red-tapism as the main hurdles to revising the plan previously, the deputy mayor said that if an earnest effort is made, then the task can be completed within three months.
Naqvi said the population of Islamabad was showing a gradual increase with the passage of time, having jumped from just 805,235 in 1998 to 2.07 million in the census conducted last year, betraying an average annual population growth rate of 4.91 per cent.
Replying to a question about water availability in the capital or lack thereof, the deputy mayor said that there was a need to set up rubber dams or small reservoirs in the city which can store rainwater to overcome the water shortage in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
To better address the problem, he said that the IMC will conduct a survey in this regard.
Asked about development works in some of the neglected sectors of the city, the deputy mayor again threw his hands up and said that it was the responsibility of the CDA to payment the land affectees to secure possession of the land. He underlined resumption of fast-paced development work in these sectors.
Not in the master plan: ‘Who granted permission for housing schemes?’
He also extended his full support to CDA for settling long-standing land issues in this regard.
Naqvi also appreciated the government for taking on the menace of illegal encroachment, especially in the federal capital and said that ongoing drive should continue without any discrimination.
Meanwhile, the IMC has issued a public notice to the residents of areas along the Simly Dam Road, particularly of union councils (UC) seven and eight — Pind Bugwal and Tumair respectively, to disconnect all illegal water connections from the main Simly conduction lines.
Residents have been given until December 3 to remove their illegal connections. Failing which, the authority warned that an operation will be conducted to disconnect these illegal pipelines syphoning off the water.
“The expenditure incurred in this regard will be recovered as risk and cost of those who will not remove these illegal and unauthorised connections under the prevailing laws and rules of the IMC local administration, Islamabad besides registration of cases for theft of water,” the notice read.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2018.