LAHORE, June 8: The enforcement of the proposed Integrated Master Plan for Lahore 2021 has been delayed by a year due to the failure of the City District Government to approve it.

The CDG claims that its certain departments had not received the copy of the IMP on time for their comments. Nespak had finalized the proposed IMP draft in June last year after incorporating the recommendations of various departments, including the LDA, the Wasa, the Tepa, the transport, housing, planning and development board and the environment protection department.

But representatives of some departments and tehsil municipal administrations of six towns complained at a meeting with the DCO last month that they did not receive the copy of the proposed IMP. "It cannot be approved unless we give comments on it," they said.

The Nespak, on the other hand, said the initial copy of the proposed IMP had been submitted to all departments concerned in November 2002 and a final draft was prepared in the light of their (departments) recommendations.

"It is not the duty of the Nespak to incorporate further changes in the final draft of the proposed master plan, now the CDG will introduce changes in it with the passage of time according to the requirements," the Nespak officials said.

DCO Khalid Sultan said that certain departments and TMOs had not received the copy. Hence, their recommendations had yet to be incorporated in it. "The proposed master plan will be tabled in the district assembly for approval soon," he added.

The proposed IMP has been prepared for the provision and expansion of roads, transportation, housing, health, education, water supply and drainage to meet the continuously growing needs of the provincial capital over the next 20 years.

The private sector will contribute 60 per cent cost of the project and the government will provide the remainder. The proposed plan will provide guidelines for the overall growth of the city and various sectors during the next 20 years.

The proposed IMP is reportedly a continuation of the master plan for the Greater Lahore 1966, the Computer Study on Lahore Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage 1987, the Lahore Urban Development and Traffic Study 1980 and the Study of Transportation System by JICA 1991.

The Nespak has proposed that a legal cover should be provided to the plan for its effective implementation and to avoid complications in years to come. Periodic reviews and updating of the plan and development of the Geographical Information System data-base for covering land use and development have also been suggested.

To begin with a short-term plan for five years will be initiated with an estimated cost of Rs58 billion. Of the total amount, the public sector will contribute Rs20 billion and the remaining by the private sector.

The five-year short-term plan is aimed at improving the Ravi Bridge, Ravi Road and Ravi Link Road at an estimated cost of Rs644 million. It also includes improvement of the GT Road (Chowk Yadgar to Cooperative Store) at an estimated cost of Rs351 million and capacity improvement of the Multan Road for Rs320 million.

Completion of the Lahore Ring Road at Rs1.6 billion, restoration of different routes to the airport for Rs245 million. Other supplementary works, the area traffic management, public transport terminals and operation and maintenance will cost Rs5,382 million. Other priorities of the plan are given below:

LAND USE CONTROL: The urban renewal and redevelopment areas, provision of trunk infrastructure, shifting of incompatible land uses, regulation of katchi abadis, protection of over 100,000 people living in the river bed and provision of basic infrastructure and land readjustment.

TRANSPORTATION: Non-motorized transport will be mainstreamed, design approach for road hierarchy through well-documented guidelines, removal of bottlenecks/encroachments and road schemes in the less privileged areas.

Extension of franchised bus operations on all major corridors and restricting mini-buses operation on feeder routes, switch to gas operated buses within urban limits, Badami Bagh and railway station sites should be upgraded for terminal activities.

High proportion of small plots in new schemes, houses up to five marlas be exempted from all types of taxes and improvement of low-income housing through micro-credits and provisions of technical assistance.

WATER SUPPLY: Looping of pipe-lines to improve low pressure areas, provision and location of overhead tanks for equitable pressure distribution and service level should be increased to 75 per cent and 100 per cent by 2006 and 2021, respectively.

RIVER FLOODS: In the five-year short-term, there is a need to restore, maintain and upgrade the existing flood protection facilities to withstand flood peaks up to 250,000 cusecs and implement flood protection system both for the left and the right banks in the long run.

Introduction of the direct pumping system to curb illegal connection, excessive pumping hours and increase the capacity of tube wells.

EDUCATION: Land must be reserved in all the proposed residential areas for the establishment of educational institutions. Expansion of existing facilities, double shift in the existing institutions of the area where land is not available.

In the short-term plan, some 277 primary schools, 1,045 high schools and 15 colleges should be constructed in the city.

HEALTH: During the first five years, construction of 44 primary health centres, provision of 315 beds in the existing health centres and 693 beds in the existing general hospitals, construction of five poly centres and three general hospitals.