Islamabad Master Plan revision: CDA asks consultant to suggest means of Zone-IV regul

[LRE]

Islamabad Master Plan revision: CDA asks consultant to suggest means of Zone-IV regularisation

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has directed the consultant firm hired for Islamabad master plan’s revision to suggest ways and means for regularisation of unplanned construction in Zone- IV, a senior official told Daily Times on Sunday.

The CDA board issued these directives to consultant Mott McDonaled Pakistan (MMP) during a presentation on master plan revision this week, said the official.

He said Zone-IV comprised 70,000 acres of land including Bhara Kahu, Malpur, Simly Road and Bani Gala areas. He said constructions in these areas were in violation of zoning regulation. Of 70,000 acres the CDA has only 12,000 acres of land, he added.

The board has also directed the consultant to explain the factors leading to violation of original master plan, he said. The official said the consultant had been asked to give a presentation to the board about the development trends in the city and the factors that led to unplanned construction in entire Islamabad and Zone-IV.

He said master plans of all the big cities of the world were reviewed after every 25 years. “If we apply this rule to Islamabad then its master plan should have been reviewed twice by now, he added.

Talking about the revised plan, the official said the new plan focused on current and future development needs of the city. It covers new housing sectors, extension in municipal limits, industrial activities, environmental protection, road repairs, new parks and recreational areas and the safety of existing water reservoirs, he said.

He said in the new plan the authority had proposed extension in the limits of Islamabad to the areas adjacent to motorway for increasing the number of series of sectors from 16 to 18. Under the revised plan, 12 new residential sectors will be developed while the previous plan envisaged 56 sectors, he added.

The official said the CDA had reviewed its original master plan in the mid-1980s. At that time two major changes were made to the original plan including new model towns in rural area around Islamabad and redesigning of the central business and commercial district, Blue Area.

He said under the under the original master plan, Islamabad was divided into four parts including Rawalpindi (259 square kilometers), Islamabad Proper inclusive of institutional and industrial areas (220.15 square kilometers), Islamabad Park (220.15 square kilometers) and Islamabad Rural Areas (466.20 square kilometers).

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg11_6