KARACHI: The Sindh Master Plan Aut­h­­ority (SMPA) cannot effectively perform its functions in the absence of proper legislation, as the draft law for an integrated body for the entire province is pending be­f­ore the provincial cabinet for its approval.

This information was provided to the Sindh High Court by a senior official of the SMPA during the hearing of a petition seeking implementation of the Karachi Strategic Development Plan (KSDP 2020) and restructuring of the master plan department / SMPA.

In a statement filed before the bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito recently, a deputy director of the SMPA stated that the draft law was placed twice before the provincial cabinet in 2020 and then in 2022-23 for its approval, but it was still awaited.

The first draft, the bench was told, was prepared by the local government department and placed before the cabinet for its approval in 2020.

Formed in Feb 2020 as separate body, SMPA can’t function effectively without proper legislation, SHC told

The second draft was prepared by the SMPA and forwarded to the “administrative department vide letters dated 13.06.2022, 24.08.2023 and 09.10.2023. The finalisation of the same is still pending”, the statement added.

It said that town planning or master plan of the entire province on district/division/city level was a crucial requirement, but without legislation, rules and regulations the SMPA / master plan department was unable to act effectively.

The restructuring of the SMPA/ was also mandatory and for such purpose, various technical departments must be made part of the authority including urban design & renewal department for preparation and approval of housing schemes; master plan department for macro, legal planning and implementation as well as renewal of katchi abadis and Goths; and the design bureau to plan the aesthetic public owned buildings for transforming cities into smart and resilient settlements, the statement said.

The SMPA also stated that initially, on the recommendations of United Nations, the master plan department was established under the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in 1968 and after promulgation of the Lyari Development Authority and Malir Development Authority in 1993, the KDA’s governing body had decided to form a board of stakeholders for the master plan department for effective and integrated planning for the entire city.

Subsequently, the then government had tasked the KDA to prepare a law for an autonomous master plan department and in 2001, after promulgation of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, the department was renamed as the Master Plan Group of Offices (MPGO) and the Design Bureau and Directorate of Planning and Urban Design of the KDA were merged into it, it added.

In 2023, the master plan department was placed under the administrative and financial control of the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority and the SMPA was established through a notification issued on Feb 18, 2020 as a separate authority by the Sindh government, it said.

The SMPA in the statement said that the KSDP 2020 was notified in Feb 2020 on the directive of the apex court about in a case pertaining to town planning and upgrade of civic amenities and infrastructure.

The authority submitted that the government had tasked the KDA to prepare a new master plan — Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 — and thus the provincial government, KDA and project director would be in better position to comment about the status of KSDP 2020 and new master plan of the city.

The two-judge bench took the statement on record and copies were provided to the other parties concerned while lawyers for the SBCA and regional director of the military land & cantonment boards sought more time to file comments.

Adjourning the hearing till Oct 2, the bench directed the petitioner to name all the cantonment boards as party in the petition and thereafter, the court office will issue notices to the newly added respondents for the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024