RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) chairman Saif Anwar Jappa on Saturday said the authority in collaboration with the local government was preparing a master plan for the district for next 25 years.

He said separate areas would be allocated for the housing schemes, industries and central business.

He said that housing societies and industries would not be allowed outside the designated areas.

He said as per the directives of the government, the agriculture land would be protected to keep the environment neat and clean.

The RDA chairman has requested citizens to give suggestions regarding Periurban Structure Plan and Site Development Zones on the RDA website www.rda.gop.pk.

Meanwhile, the civic body has been trying to prepare the master plan for the last three years. “The slow pace of work on preparation of master plan allowed the developers of private housing societies to do construction work in their respective areas without any hurdle,” a senior official of RDA requesting not to be named told Dawn.

He said the RDA had failed to regulate the private housing societies in the district and due to its indifferent attitude, the developers finalized the housing schemes without fulfilling the formalities.

He said mostly housing schemes in the district developed on less land and failed to allocate space for school, college, parks, mosque and graveyards.

He said in the absence of graveyards in new housing schemes, the burden shifted existing graveyards of the garrison city.

He said under the law, the private housing schemes had to install sewage treatment plant, water purification system and arrange water to supply in their respective areas but there was no housing scheme in the district which fulfils the requirement.

He blamed absence of master plan for all violations. He said that due to unavailability of master plan, commercial areas exist in residential ones as no site had been allocated for industrial as well as for workshops in the garrison city.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2023