CDA sends capital’s draft master plan to cabinet for approval

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sent the final draft of Islamabad’s revised master plan to federal cabinet for approval and is likely to give a presentation to it on the plan in next few weeks.

The consultant, Mott McDonald Pakistan (MMP), hired by the civic body three years ago, has almost completed the revision of mater plan and it would be given final shape after cabinet’s approval, a senior official of CDA told Daily Times.

The official said Dexiadas, a Greek planner, had prepared the first master plan of the federal capital in 1960. In the revised plan the authority has focused on future development needs of the city, including launching of new housing sectors, extension of municipal limits of federal capital, establishment of another industrial zone and construction of new parks, he said. The CDA has also proposed the extension of the territorial limits of Islamabad to include 17 and 18 series of sectors, he added.

The official said the authority had also proposed construction of high-rises in zone IV and V and to construct a Central Business District (CBD) in Zone IV to spur economic activities in the federal capital. In the new plan the authority has also proposed to construct another park like Fatima Jinnah Park (F-9) in sector E-14 and establish another industrial zone in sector 1-17, he said.

He said according to the original master plan Islamabad was divided into four parts including Rawalpindi (259 square kilometers), Islamabad Proper (inclusive of institutional and industrial areas (220.15 square kilometers), Islamabad Park (220.15 square kilometers) and Islamabad Rural Areas (466.20 square kilometers).

The official said the CDA had reviewed its original master plan in mid 1980s and made two major changes in it.

The first change was inclusion of the new model towns in the rural area around Islamabad and eight such model villages were established, including Rawal Town, Humak, Chak Shahzad, Margalla Town, Tarlai Kalan, Alipur Farash, Kuri and Nurpur Shahan.

The second major change was the redesigning of the central business and commercial district, Blue Area. The original design of Blue Area in the master plan had envisaged high-rises on both sides of Jinnah Avenue.

The revised plan allowed for only six-storey buildings on the southern side of Jinnah Avenue, where now the commercial plazas are located, while on the northern side, high-rises from 15 to 19 stories were allowed.
Source: Daily Times, 29/9/2008