PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday approved the province’s Urban Policy, 2030, along with its action plan saying the initiative will encourage development of smart cities and ensure the “well-organised” use and management of land to meet needs of urban centres.

He also granted approval to the proposed master plans for Mardan city and urban areas of Wana in South Waziristan tribal district and Miramshah and Mirali in North Waziristan tribal district.

“Streamlining civic facilities in all sectors is the need of the hour. We cannot afford any delay or negligence to this effect,” he told the second meeting of the Land Use and Building Control Council here, according to an official statement.

The chief minister, who chaired the meeting, said KP was the first province to develop an urban policy.

He called for the effective implementation of master plans and directed authorities to come up with a “pragmatic implementation mechanism” in three months.

Master plans also okayed for Mardan city, Waziristan’s urban areas

The official statement said the policy was developed by the Urban Policy and Planning Unit and Sub-National Governance Programme after consultation for more than 12 months and inputs from both local and foreign experts as well as people.

It added that the policy was applicable to all urban area development authorities and those working under the KP Tourism Act and that its targets would be reviewed after every two years until 2030 before being developed for three to five years on a “rolling basis.”

According to it, the urban policy will encourage development of smart cities with its social, environmental and gender aspects being given due consideration.

“City administrators will have the flexibility to chalk out their own city management plans in accordance with the needs and requirements of their respective areas,” it said.

The statement said key components of the urban policy included land use and floor area planning, affordable housing, economic and real estate development, municipal services and livability, traffic and mobility ease, tourism in cities and in the northern zone, institutional capacity building to implement policy properly and strategic city management planning.

Officials said master plans for Mardan, Wana, Miramshah and Mirali had been finalised, while such plans for 16 other cities of the province would be ready byMarch.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023