Saif Anwar Jappa, chairman of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), stated that the authority, in collaboration with the local government, was gearing up a master plan for the district for the next 25 years.
He stated that separate areas would be set aside for housing schemes, industries, and central business. The chairman stated that housing societies and industries would be prohibited from operating outside of the designated areas.
He added as per the guidelines of the government, the agricultural land would be protected to keep the environment neat and clean. The RDA chairman has requested public input on the RDA’s Periurban Structure Plan and Site Development Zones.
Meanwhile, the civic body has been trying to make the master plan for the last three years. “Due to the slow pace of work on master plan preparation, developers of private housing societies were able to do construction work in their respective areas without any hindrance,” a senior RDA official told the media.
He claimed that the RDA had failed to regulate private housing societies in the district and that as a result of its indifference, developers completed housing schemes without following the proper procedures. The chairman further said that generally, housing schemes in the district developed on less land and did not allocate space for schools, colleges, mosques, parks, and graveyards.
Moreover, he stated that in the absence of graveyards in new housing schemes, the burden was shifted to the garrison city’s existing graveyards. According to him, private housing schemes are required by law to install sewage treatment plants and water purification systems and arrange for water supply in their respective areas, but there is no housing scheme in the district that meets this requirement.
He blamed all violations on the lack of a master plan. He stated that due to the lack of a master plan, commercial areas exist in residential areas because no site in the garrison city has been designated for industrial or workshop purposes.