KARACHI, Feb 5: The provincial government has stopped further allotment of land in the entire area meant for the proposed ‘Education City’ to any individual or organization till the finalization of a mater plan.

The move is aimed at preventing any speculative land development within the proposed site — the link road connecting Super Highway and National Highway.

The Gadap and Bin Qasim town administrations have been advised to ensure compliance of the decision.

The Education City is being built along both sides of the link road where different educational and health organizations have been allotted vast pieces of land. The organizations include Aga Khan University, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Engineering and Technology.

The aim of preventing speculative development is to ensure application of the master plan without any breach and confining the development activities to the objectives of Education City i.e. to provide scholastic environment to the beneficiaries.

The Aga Khan University has acquired 560 acres of land in Deh Chuhar on the link road for the establishment of a faculty of arts and sciences. The institution has already chalked out a plan under which classes are to commence in 2007.

It is learnt that the university has offered its assistance to the government to draw up

guidelines for the project and ensure its proper functioning as well as a compatible development in the neighbourhood to achieve the goal.

According to a break up, out of the area spread over 24,000 acres, 246 acres have been allotted on 99-year lease and about 7,000 acres on 30-year lease. It includes over 3,300-acre Kabuli land, 4,000-acres MDA land, over 5,046-acre army land (2,446 acres of which disputed), 100-acre for Cotton Export Corporation, 100-acre for Wireless, 200-acre for graveyards, 185-acres for villages and 4,200-acres for Steel Mill.

Though a notification pertaining to the proposed project is yet to be issued, the city district government has offered cooperation and expressed willingness to match the AKU’s pace of progress in launching the project.

Other institutions allotted lands in the area are Sindh Madresah School, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Ziauddin Hospital and University, etc.

The city government, it is further learnt, insists on involving all the stake-holders in the preparation of the master plan. The master plan would cover central business district, performing art centre, convention centre, cultural centre, shopping centres, parks, playgrounds, religious facilities, public libraries, service industries (including filling stations), repair workshops, laundries, bakeries and transport terminals.

It is also working on building bylaws to be laid down in accordance with the specific reference to the Education City. The character and future use of the link road, location of other roads in the projected area and demarcation of plots are being worked out by the city government.