ISLAMABAD: The city managers have proposed 20 new names for the reconstitution of the commission to carry out the much-delayed revision of Islamabad’s master plan.

Sources in the interior ministry told Dawn that the CDA had forwarded the list of 20 experts to the federal cabinet out of which the cabinet will approve 13 names. In addition, there will be seven ex-officio members.

The federal capital, which was built in accordance with a well-documented master plan developed in 1960, has been constantly facing changes to its master plan without any input from professional consultants.

The master plan has faced around 45 changes by successive governments, but a proper revision has not been made yet.

20 names included in list out of which federal cabinet will finalise 13, say officials

Doxiadis Associates, a Greece-based firm that prepared the master plan, had recommended its revision after every 20 years. However, no such revision has been made that resulted into poor planning and mushroom growth of unauthorised construction.

Recently, the cabinet at a meeting discussed the revision of the master plan and finalised an earlier proposed panel of experts. However, it directed the CDA and the interior ministry for reviewing the members of the commission.

The cabinet had directed for inclusion of urban planners and other professionals having national and international expertise. Accordingly, sources said, CDA officials proposed new names of professional experts.

The sources said if the caretaker cabinet holds a meeting, the summary will be placed before it for approval as caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq at the last meeting had showed his concerns over the delay in the revision of the master plan.

The sources said CDA had proposed seven names of urban planners out of them cabinet will finalise five names. The sevens experts included Dr Shabihul Hassan Zaidi, Dr Imran Mohammad, Dr Abdul Waheed, Umar Farooq, Shoial Faridi, Mohammad Abdullah and Khurram Farid Bargat.

Meanwhile, the CDA proposed a panel of three experts for one post of transportation planning specialist. They are: Khushal Khan, Mian Wamiq Anwar and Azam Khan Lodhi.

Two names of architects - Prof Dr Noman Ahmad and Ejaz Ahmed Qadri - were proposed against one post. Names of former member engineering and planning CDA Hafiz Ehsanul Haq, Dr Pervez Ahsan Khan and Prof Dr Obaidullah Nadeem have been proposed against the posts of civic

engineer, water resource and management expert and academicians, respectively.

Similarly, for one post of environmentalist, a panel of experts Viqar Zikria and Dr Ghulam Raza Bhatti has also been proposed along with the names of urban economist Dr Naveed Iftikhar and senor lawyer Hafiz Arfaat Ahmad.

The ex-officio members included the CDA chairman, who will act as the convener of the commission, and the member planning, chief physical planning and housing, Planning Commission of Pakistan, director general Rawalpindi Development Authority, director general Pakistan Environment Protection Agency, director general planning CDA and any other co-opted member to be nominated by civic agency’s member planning.

It is relevant to note here that when the PTI government came to power in 2018, it announced that the master plan would be revised and the then prime minister Imran Khan also formed a commission. However, the commission, after a delay, prepared an interim report in 2020, which was mostly related to building by-laws and regularisation of certain areas, including Banigala.

But, the commission left proper revision of the master plan to a professional firm which due to various reasons could not be hired till Mr Khan’s government was removed.

Later, the commission became inactive, therefore, it was decided that a new commission would be formed and a summary was sent to the interior ministry in December 2022 for its reconstitution. But that could not be approved.

A former town planner of the CDA said that revision of the master plan was imperative, adding the civic body had been taking up the issue with the government for the last few years, but to no avail. “Let see what will be the outcome of this new summary and proposed names,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024