CDA to give presentation to PM on Capital’s revised master plan
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will give a comprehensive briefing to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on the revised master plan of Islamabad on November 17, a CDA official said Monday.
The official said the Authority has made some major amendments in the first draft of the revised master plan on the directives of the Inter-ministerial Committee. “After approval by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz a draft of the revised master plan will be presented to the federal cabinet for final approval,” he said.
The Authority has been in constant touch with the Prime Minister House while preparing the recommendations in the revised master plan and a number of meetings were held in the past few months in this respect, he said. “One of the key focus areas in the revised master plan is increase in the number of residential sectors given in the previous master plan up to 68 in order to cope with the growing housing shortage in the federal capital,” the official said.
The CDA contracted a London based consultant firm Macdonald Pakistan to suggest measures to revise the master plan that was drawn up over four decades. The firm was also commissioned to prepare a master plan for Zone IV of the federal capital. The official said the Authority has proposed extension in municipal limits of Islamabad in the revised plan and including rural areas like Bara Kahu in municipal limits of the federal capital. as well whether that province was the Punjab or NWFP
Sources said if a decision to extend Islamabad’s limits was taken then constitutional amendment would be required at the federal level and at the provincial in Punjab and NWFP. At present, the jurisdictions of the Authority are limited to Islamabad city only while rural areas are not within its jurisdictions. The total area of Islamabad is 906.0 sq. km which includes 287.5 sq. km of municipal area and 618.5 sq. km of rural area.
With the extension in municipal limits of Islamabad, the population of rural areas of the federal capital would get all the municipal facilities. However, they would have to pay taxes including water charges and property tax in return for the facilities. The proposals took into account views of public representatives, residents, representatives of professional bodies, cooperative societies, welfare societies, NGOs and planners,” the official said. Regarding Zone-IV the consultant has made proposals on whether and how the existing orchards and farms in the area should be expanded while protecting drinking water sources and environment.