November 08, 2007	Thursday	Shawwal 26, 1428

TAXILA, Nov 7: To provide integrated civic amenities and carry out development of international standards, a master plan of Taxila tehsil is in final stages and would be completed next month.

A US-based firm has been hired by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) to prepare the first ever satellite imagery master plan of the city and it would be the only town administration of the Rawalpindi division which would have this facility for the future town planning.

This facility, which is not unique in developed countries but rare in Pakistan, would help propose future growth pattern of Taxila.

The acquisition of satellite imagery would help form and outline boundary of the town, prepare spatial plans, plan, execute and manage development plans, plan land use, land sub- division, land development and zoning.

While talking to this reporter, Teshil Nazim Muhammad Sadeeq Khan said there are two approaches for the preparation of base map of the area. First is the traditional approach i.e. through plan table and other surveys. This requires a lot of labour and time.

The major disadvantage in this approach is that starting from one end of the city when you reach other end, many changes have already been taken place at the starting point and in between before the documenting the same.

Now the geographic information system and satellite remote sensing technology makes it possible to provide images of the area embedded with a comprehensive database for updated planning and management of activities.

Tehsil municipal officer (TMO) Sardar Tashfeen Nawaz said, “haphazard town planning, in the absence of master plans, is gradually creating social and environmental problems and town planning of the city through satellite imagery we tried to address this issue.” He said that “we need to innovate, develop master plans, update and improve existing plans and systematically plan towns.”

He said that air, noise and water pollutions were a result of poor planning and demanded of the government to prioritise the resolution of this issue. He said that project would cost Rs1.8 million and this project is being carried out by a US based consultancy firm. He said that the project is in final phase and would be completed during next month. He said that this would be proved as first milestone for the computerised civic, roads and traffic development of the city according to the international standards.