RAHIM YAR KHAN: Even though Rahim Yar Khan is among the 11 cities where the Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department has completed master plans for land use and zoning to address residential, commercial, and industrial needs, some members of the District Planning and Design Committee (DPDC) have disregarded the consultant firm’s recommendations.

An official in the municipal committee (MC) told this correspondent that initially, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government introduced the initiative of master planning for cities in 2021 and directed all district councils and MCs to prepare their master plans within six months. For this purpose, a Project Management Unit (PMU) was established in Lahore.

Initially, two phases of master planning were announced. In the first phase, 11 cities, including Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Vehari, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Okara, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi, were selected, and work began in the areas where no master plan had ever been prepared, the official said.

The PMU awarded the tender, worth approximately Rs25m to Rs30m, to Urban Community Housing Pvt Limited (UCH Pvt Ltd), and District Officer Planning (DOP) from the local government Umar Awais was appointed as its focal person in 2022. Later, more than 10 surveyors from UCH started mapping the district using Google Imagery Satellite, the official added.

He added that after extensive and meticulous work, UCH completed the master plan for the entire district and presented it to the DPDC, headed by the deputy commissioner (DC). In that meeting, UCH recommended that residential societies be expanded towards Tajgarh Road, which was a sparsely populated area. However, some members of the DPDC rejected UCH’s recommendations and proposed that the new residential zone be expanded on Abu Dhabi Road and Khanpur Road, allegedly influencing the DC.

These areas were already witnessing residential and commercial activity, and the subsoil water there was brackish and salty.

Despite these concerns, the DPDC approved the master plan for 2023 to 2043 (20 years), and its notification was released on April 26, 2024. The official said that this master plan for Rahim Yar Khan will be updated on Google Maps this month and no one will be permitted to establish residential societies in green areas.

On the other hand, there is a large Rahim Yar Khan Industrial Estate on the National Highway near Chak 5-NP, but the district administration and Industries Department have failed to motivate industrialists from Rahim Yar Khan to set up factories and mills there. Similarly, anyone can establish a commercial centre by purchasing a few acres of agricultural land along any main road in the district.

The focal person for master planning, DOP Umar Awais, said he would provide detailed responses to questions. However, when some questions were sent to him, he had not replied by the time this report was filed.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2025