KARACHI, Dec 12: The Sindh government has decided to form a new master plan department for Karachi City Government.

The department will be responsible for all macro and micro planning of the city, including the study of changing needs of infrastructure and basic development for Karachi.

During a high-level meeting held in connection with transaction and devolution process of the KDA, it was decided that a master planning group of offices be established at Karachi City Government.

The new department will mainly constitute all the officers and staff from master plan and town and urban planning department of KDA which will be finalized early next month.

However, to ensure that no violation in the city master plan takes place, a city agency for master planning has been proposed constituting City Nazim as chairperson, provincial government representative (secretary, works and services), all Town Nazims, one representative each of land-holding / land-use in Karachi like Port Qasim Authority, Karachi Port Trust, Pakistan Steel etc., and EDO master planning as member /secretary of the agency.

It has been decided that master plan department of the city government must allocate one representative as town officer (planning) to handle the works related to town master planning.

The last meeting held in this regard was chaired by NRB chairman Tanveer Naqvi, Dewan Mohammad Farooqui, Sindh Minister for local bodies, chief secretary Muhammad Javed Ashraf, Tasneem Sikander, Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority Qamar Zaman, Secretary Local Government whereas Zaheer Qadri DG KDA and DCO Karachi Shafiqur Rehman Paracha represented the Karachi City government.

According to sources, the present director, master plan KDA has been facing difficulties in convincing seniors about the importance of master plan for Karachi and motives and targets of the department.

It is quite evident from the fact that formation of a post of a town officer (planning) has been objected by a number of senior bureaucrats on the ground that a majority of towns in Karachi have already been developed, whereas the departmental heads have been trying to convince them that master planning does not mean only to make maps for building and road development but to study the needs of people according to the changing environment.

These studies include the future provision of infrastructure, health and education facilities, etc., in the near future and in the long run, sources added.

Out of five city plans made in Karachi history, only one was approved which was prepared in 1922 by A. E. Miram.

Second master plan was Karachi Development Plan 1974-85 which was prepared by KDA with the financial assistance of the UNDP.

It was a major exercise in the field of regional planning, and covered total Karachi spread over an area of 7600 square miles.

The last plan for Karachi covered policies and programmes in all sectors of development, including infrastructure, health and education requirements.

The singular felicity of this plan was the rational utilisation of available land and other scenarios for sustainable development for Karachi.

Apart from routine city planning and the micro planning at locality level and housing schemes, this plan also recommended institutional set up for coordinated development and legal instruments.

One major reason for a number of problems faced by citizens of Karachi is the absence of any long-term strategy in all respects.

City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has also spoken for the need of a master plan for Karachi on number of occasions, which will eventually reduce the improper and undirected growth of Karachi.—PPI