ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: The development of Federal Government Employees Housing Scheme in Zone-IV, classified as 'farmland area' in the original master plan of the city, is an intriguing move by the Ministry of Housing and Works to turn the adjoining barren land into 'gold mines' without any investment, say urban planners.

“Town planners around the world establish housing societies on few standard town planning patterns; however, the housing ministry's scheme is an irregular-shaped project lacking basic town planning concept,” said an urban planner of the federal government on condition of anonymity while talking to Dawn.

The Ministry of Housing has recently been awarded a 'No objection certificate' (NOC) by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for establishment of the housing scheme in the zone.

CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi in a recent statement had argued: “We are trying to work out better regulations for Zone-IV. The NOC issued to the ministry is aimed to control haphazard construction in Zone-IV.”

The Zone-IV regulations were changed by the CDA and a similar initiative was taken by the federal government in 1993 when it attempted to establish Islamabad New City there. However, it never matured rather paved way for few famous housing societies.

The urban planner, however, said: “Internationally, cities or small scale housing projects are developed on concentric, radial and grid iron patterns. Islamabad city is also developed on grid iron sectors pattern.”

The official said after going through the map of Zone-IV “it is clear that the housing scheme's land was purchased in an irregular shape and it will be a costly scheme.”

“Few plot owners in the scheme will get more benefit because of their location while others will even have no neighbourhood,” he said.

The official also referred to a Supreme Court's suo motu action directing the CDA to ensure that large size farmhouses in Zone-IV should cultivate fresh vegetables to control the ever-rising prices of vegetables in the city.

“But the CDA has changed the regulations allowing the development of housing schemes and flats in the zone.”

The urban planner asserted that the ministry's housing scheme would be a costly venture as a double road, electricity and other such services would be extended to the scheme by developing the land, ultimately benefiting many others wishing to establish housing schemes in the zone.

He said CDA had recently acquired land in the urban area at the rate of Rs800,000 per kanal; however, the housing ministry purchased one kanal in the barren zone IV at a cost of around Rs900,000.

Even the development of Rs735 million Lehtrar Road, meant to support the elite farmhouse owners in Zone-IV, would held the future private housing scheme tycoons eyeing Zone-IV as their development opportunity, he added.

Meanwhile, a CDA official on condition of anonymity added that CDA had even received few applications for issuing NOC to land owners for development of housing scheme in the zone.