City keeps expanding sans master plan

LAHORE:

The Master Plan 2050 for the provincial capital has not been finalised even after three years of work, apparently due to lack of interest from Lahore Development Authority (LDA) officers and poor coordination with provincial departments.

According to urban development experts, the master plan envisaged by the authorities so far lacks a legal framework for crucial issues such as transportation, pollution control, health, education and conservation of agricultural land. They also expressed apprehension that the planning might be contrary to the ground realities of the city.

However, LDA Director General Muhammad Ali Randhawa told The Express Tribune that the master plan had been prepared while keeping in view the current and future needs of the citizens. “All government departments, citizens, town planners and other sectors had been taken into confidence in preparing the master plan. The flaws that were identified in its preparation have been removed,” he added.

Randhawa said the agricultural area would be protected and green areas would be developed to curb pollution. He added that the LDA was informing the Lahore High Court about the situation.

Despite expenses of millions of rupees on its preparation, it is the third time that the master plan has failed to materialise since the previous plan’s tenure ended in 2020.

The LDA started work on preparation of the Master Plan 2050 in 2018 and a foreign company was engaged against a payment of Rs510 million.

The second largest city of the country has been facing issues related to transport, pollution, municipal services, health, traffic and residential and commercial problems for many years due to unplanned urbanisation.

The area of Lahore is 1,770 square kilometres and according to an estimate, its population has exceeded 20 million, which may reach 25 million by 2050.

Most of the agricultural area of Lahore has been converted into residential schemes and construction has been completed on 872 square km. At the same rate of construction, the agricultural area of Lahore will be gone by 2050.

According to the experts, the Master Plan 2050 is necessary to meet the development needs of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Nankana with better planning in the future. The plan should include facilities and municipal services for the residential, commercial and industrial zones, including transportation, health, education and parks.

In the master plan prepared previously, the involvement of at least 26 provincial departments was shown in the documents, but without any meaningful input, a former official claimed. The most urgent issues faced by the metropolis are related to transport and employment.

A town planner said the initial plan had contained no major initiative in the transport sector except the Purple Line. The Sundar area was envisaged as an industrial zone, but there was no transport system planned to link it with localities across Lahore.

Unchecked construction, felling of old trees for building highways, establishment of housing societies on agricultural land and heavy traffic have afflicted the city in recent years.

Private housing societies are being built on most of the city's agricultural land, which is a violation of the policies set to be included in the master plan. Currently, about 370 housing societies in Lahore are approved by the LDA, 140 are illegal and 60 are under process with the relevant departments. The cantonment board areas, DHA and cooperative housing societies are separate.

According to sources, the LDA has planned to convert existing sites in the city for residential and commercial use instead of building new housing societies in the new master plan.

Former chief engineer Khushal Khan stressed the importance of reducing vehicular pollution and facilities for citizens to commute for employment.

He also called for measures to check the pace of urbanisation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2023.