KARACHI, Feb 2: The preliminary report meant for the preparation of a master plan for Gwadar town, intended to be converted into a model city having modern and high-standard civic, commercial and residential facilities, has miserably failed to come up to the expectations of the local people and other stake-holders.
Prepared by the NESPAK, the report has botched up the infrastructure of the future city by providing outdated data and ignoring the present socio-economic condition as well as the future needs of populace.
The stake-holders, local residents and those set to play a vital role in the social and economic development of the city, fear that a master plan based on the Nespak report could convert Gwadar into another town of unendurable problems instead of a model city. Most of the non-resident stake-holders do matter because they appeared to be investors — the most-sought-after contributors to the city’s development.
The public representatives of have also made no secrets about their reservations over the report disputing the figures pertaining to the present local population. They have also expressed the fear that the under-estimation of present and future population may lead to the local residents being converted into a minority.
The report estimates that the rate of population growth in the town would be too low and contends that for a modern city, a rapid growth at the initial stage was essential. This flaw in the report is bound to mislead the town planners and will ultimately result in the preparation of an unrealistic master plan.
The report lacks direction and methodology due to the absence of facts based on a proper socio-economic or demographic study.
The most important details in the report have been deduced from the obsolete data collected through unreliable sources or simply assumptions. Even the design, planning considerations and parameters are missing.
The stake-holders are of the view that the tourism-related activities would play a key role in the future socio-economic activities as the town would emerge as the second major port city of Pakistan. Similarly, they say, trade activity would become unimaginably hectic and both the sectors would supplement each other to provide a strong base for the economic growth and development of not only the town but the entire province.
They propose that a task force, comprising people representing major contributors and stake-holders as well as town planners having a realistic approach, to assess the future requirements of the entire population. The recommendations of the task force, they say, would provide an authentic factual position besides reliable figures for the preparation of a master plan.
A proper study and survey are needed to be conducted before finalizing the basis of the master plan, according to town planners having an eye on the project. They observed that neither elected representatives nor the stake-holders had been consulted before forwarding the Nespak report to the relevant authorities. The local administration had been ignored either, they added.
