PESHAWAR, Nov 3: The NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, has stressed the need for managing the land use plans in the province in order to check the haphazard urbanization and to protect the agricultural land, forests and meadows.

Speaking at the regional conference of the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners here on Saturday night, the governor said the town-planning sector had been ignored in the past which resulted in irregular construction and rise in encroachments in the cities.

Urging the town-planners and architects to chalk out master plans for the big cities and towns, the governor said due to the lack of town planning, reckless urbanization was taking place, which was adversely effecting the environment.

The governor said due to faulty planning,  the industrial units producing hazardous chemical waste, were allowed to be installed close to human dwellings. This trend needed to be changed to protect the environment, he added.

He said the fast growing population and lack of business opportunities also channelled the money sent by overseas Pakistanis to the ill-planned house construction activity.

He said the situation in the rural areas was worse where the government should make huge investments for the provision of drinking water, sanitation, sewerage and solid waste disposal facilities.

“This is a serious problem confronting us at this juncture, which demands multifaceted strategies by all concerned, otherwise the situation will further aggravate,” he said.