RAWALPINDI: The master plan of Rawalpindi, which was supposed to be completed in 2021, is still not ready and the governing body of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has given the consultant till December 31 to complete the task.

Mott Macdonald Pakistan (MMP) has been working on the project called, ‘Regional development plan for district Rawalpindi and peri-urban structure plans for tehsils of Rawalpindi district (excluding Rawalpindi tehsil)’.

The contract was awarded to the company on December 16, 2020, and an agreement with it was signed on December 24, 2020, for the consultancy worth Rs50 million (Rs49,682,800) with the completion duration of 12 months.

The 64th governing body meeting of the RDA was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chattha on the special permission of the Punjab caretaker government.

Governing body also approves RDA, Wasa budgets

RDA Director General Saif Anwar Jappa along with RDA and Wasa officials and others attended the meeting.

The governing body approved the extension in the deadline to the consultant for completion of the project.

The meeting also approved the regulations 2023 for the master plan/regional development plan. It also endorsed a decision taken by the CDA to process housing schemes, commercial buildings physically falling in the ICT as identified by the Survey of Pakistan.

A senior RDA official told Dawn that the consultant had carried out major survey works and land use plan; however, the project was halted over confusion whether the RDA was competent to prepare such plans in local government areas.

However, he added, in compliance with instructions from the secretary Punjab local government and community development department to all local governments to complete the task of master plans, a detailed meeting with the consultant, MMP, and municipal officers (planning) was held on Oct 25, 2022.

The senior planner presented the TORs of the project being carried out through the RDA for six tehsils as well as for preparation of land use and zoning plan for Rawalpindi tehsil through the local government department.

Furthermore, he said, meetings were held thrice for the finalisation of a proposal for peri-urban limits with stakeholders from each tehsil to discuss the aspects of future planning, population projection, migration trend, land requirements for each of the six tehsils.

A reference case was placed before the RDA governing body at its 59th meeting held on Oct 14, 2022. The governing body approved that RDA will prepare and notify the peri-urban limit of six tehsil and PMU working under the local government department will prepare the master plan for tehsil Rawalpindi.

The time period for completion of the project by MMP was extended for six months.

Meantime, administrator of the local government in Rawalpindi district forwarded their consent allowing the leading role for preparation of master plan in their local government areas.

Accordingly, the consultant finalised the land use classification plans of all the six tehsils of Gujar Khan, Kallar Seyadan, Taxila, Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta, but later Murree was declared a new district and two tehsils - Murree and Kotli Sattian - remained no more in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi/RDA.

Therefore, further work on land use classification plans of tehsil Murree and Kotli Sattian was stopped. Whereas only master plans of Gujar Khan, Kallar Syadan, Taxila and Kahuta tehsils were forwarded to the concerned administrators of the tehsils for approval and notified by the concerned local government.

RDA and Wasa budgets

The governing body also approved the RDA budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 worth Rs3.255 billion and Wasa’s budget of Rs7.189 billion.

Previously, it was vetted and estimates of development expenditures was sent to the government of Punjab for endorsement.

The governing body also approved development of a nursery on 1,000 kanals by the PHA in collaboration with Wasa.

The meeting was told that 5,500 kanals was available with Wasa for construction of a waste water treatment plant on Adiala Road.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2023