KARACHI, Feb 9: The city government has taken no initiative towards updating the obsolete master plan of Karachi despite repeated calls by the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, on various occasions. The existing plan was prepared in 1991 at a cost of Rs460 million.

The National Housing Policy makes it mandatory for district, town, taluka, tehsil and union councils to have master and structural plans of their respective areas. Under this policy, a metropolitan/city government must upgrade its master plan after every three years. The period is one year in case of towns and Union councils.

Despite the lapse of many year, the city government has failed to make any progress in this regard and the PC-II for the upgradation of Karachi’s master plan is presently lying with the DCO without any change made to it.

Lack of willingness and ulterior motives appeared to be one of the main factors behind the successive government’s failure to get a master plan for Karachi approved. Meddling by the provincial government in the affairs of regional development agencies also caused heavy losses to most of the local bodies.

The only master plan, out of five prepared for the city in its history, was the one prepared by A. E. Miram in 1922 which was approved and implemented in full. The second plan was prepared by Col. Thomas in 1946 but could not be approved as it was declared impracticable after the birth of Pakistan as the city’s population increased manifold. However, the selection of the site for Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum was made with the help of this plan.

In 1949, the government commissioned a Swedish firm Merz Randal Vatten, Pakistan, to prepare a master plan for the development of Karachi. This plan, also known as MRVP, was finalized in 1952 but it also could not be approved. Only some of its recommendations were implemented.

Yet another master plan was prepared by the Karachi Development Authority, and titled as Karachi Development Plan 1974-85, with the financial assistance of United Nations Development Programme.

It was a major exercise in the field of regional planning that covered the total territory of Karachi spread over an area of 7,600 square miles.

The Karachi Development Plan 2000 was also funded by the UN agencies to the tune of more than Rs460 million which covered only the urban areas of Karachi spread over 700 square miles. It was completed in 1991.

Ironically, not a single meeting of its Ratification Committee, headed by the chief minister, could be convened during 90s.

It was a non-traditional type of master plan involving an extensive updating of database, computerized mathematical models, policies and programmes in all sectors of development.—PPI