The Lahore Division Master Plan-2050 is likely to be enforced from July 1 after its revised final draft is submitted by May 31, according to an LDA official. The plan is being updated on the basis of the 2023 census and recent urban development.
LAHORE: The Lahore Division Master Plan-2050 is expected to come into force from the next fiscal year, beginning on July 1, after work on its review and final draft moves ahead, according to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).
LDA Chief Metropolitan Planner Muhammad Faisal Qureshi said the consultants who had prepared the plan in 2022 were now revisiting it in line with court directions so that a final draft could be prepared after taking into account developments that had taken place over the last five to six years.
He said the final draft was likely to be submitted to the LDA’s metropolitan wing by May 31. According to him, the authority is currently relying on the Master Plan-2016 for functions such as approving housing schemes and land subdivisions.
Qureshi said the revised exercise was being carried out on the basis of the 2023 census, whereas the earlier final draft approved by the then Punjab government had been prepared using the 2017 census. He said new built-up areas had emerged in Lahore and other districts during this period and these were expected to be included in brown areas meant for residential and mixed-use purposes.
He added that any fresh development in the project area of the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project, as reflected in the master plan of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda), would also be incorporated into the Lahore Division Plan-2050.
In February this year, the LDA’s governing body authorised the metropolitan wing to complete the plan after negotiations with the consultants over the Rs320 million expenditure sought for the work. The move followed court directions calling for the plan’s completion from time to time. A high-level committee had also pressed for its early finalisation.
At present, matters related to urban expansion, planning, approval of housing schemes and green areas in Lahore city district and other districts and towns are being handled under the amended Lahore Division Plan-2016, which is described as an outdated revised version of the Punjab Capital Master Plan 2004-2021.
Plan challenged in court after 2022 approval
The Lahore Division Master Plan-2050 was completed in 2022 and later challenged in the Lahore High Court, which suspended its enforcement in January 2023. Although the then chief minister had approved the plan on Oct 17, 2022, the approval was challenged in court on the grounds that it was allegedly a managed affair intended to extend undue benefits to land mafia and property developers.
The challenge also raised concerns that the plan could have a devastating impact on the environment. The court had observed that the government’s random and aimless development projects posed a threat to citizens’ health and to the country’s economy.
After the National Accountability Bureau launched a probe, the LDA decided in April 2023, in light of court orders, to have the plan reviewed and cleared by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Urban Unit of the Punjab Planning and Development Department. However, that review did not take place for unknown reasons.
What the plan includes
The Plan-2050 proposes a new city centre in Gulberg and sets out the future growth and expansion of the city. It includes a regional plan for Lahore Division as well as master plans for major urban settlements within the division.
Under the plan, Lahore district would include a northern part of Sheikhupura district to accommodate population growth. Master plans for major urban settlements in Sheikhupura, Nankana and Kasur had also been prepared. The document also incorporates plans and policies of the Walled City of Lahore Authority, the Punjab Central Business Districts Development Authority and the Ravi Urban Development Authority.
Qureshi said that if the final draft reached the authority by the end of May, the LDA would be able to examine it in detail and hold a public hearing on the plan’s Environment Impact Assessment through the environment department within around 20 days.
He said the plan could then be placed before the LDA governing body in a meeting expected in the last week of June for approval. “And after approval, we will be able to enforce it from July this year,” he said.
