The Sindh government has announced the preparation of a master plan for 12 secondary cities of the province. The first package of the plan includes Rohri, Khairpur, Ghotki, and Mirpur Mathelo from the Sukkur division.
A consultative meeting regarding the Rohri Master Plan was held on Tuesday at the Commissioner Office in Sukkur, with various stakeholders in attendance. The meeting was attended by Sindh government’s spokesperson and Mayor of Sukkur, Barrister Arslan Islam Sheikh, and others.
Dr Imtiaz Bhatti, Director General of Urban Planning, stated that the initiative to create master plans for Sindh’s smaller cities had been ongoing for several years. “Some plans have already been completed, while others are in the process of being developed.”
Bhatti emphasized the ongoing consultation with stakeholders to incorporate their suggestions. He mentioned that it was the preliminary stage, and changes could still be made at this stage. The new suggestions received during the consultation would be incorporated into the master plan, and further consultations would be held with stakeholders to inform them about the inclusion of their proposals.
Barrister Arslan Islam Sheikh, said that following the guidance of the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Sindh government was working on both long-term and short-term master plans for secondary cities to address urban growth challenges. He assured that those master plans would be prepared according to international standards and that their implementation would be ensured to effectively address urban challenges.
Mr Sheikh further mentioned that the Sindh Planning and Development Department’s Urban Unit was working on master plans for cities with a population of over one lakh to create long-term socio-economic development plans for these cities.
He also highlighted that the Sukkur master plan, notified in 2018, had several flaws that need to be corrected. He referred to the current plan as a general development concept paper rather than a master plan.
A master plan should include specific zoning, identifying areas for industry, slums, and urban roads, among other details, he added. Sheikh said that the Sindh Building Control Authority had earlier presented a development concept paper for the city, which was later notified as the master plan. As the Mayor of Sukkur, he raised this issue with the Sindh government, and work was underway to update it to meet international standards.
Regarding Rohri, Sheikh said that some areas had been classified as environmentally hazardous, but he believed that those areas, where development had already taken place, did not pose environmental risks. “If there are any risks, necessary measures can be taken to mitigate them.” He emphasized that this is more of a consultative process, where all stakeholders are providing their opinions to ensure that the final document becomes a concrete and real master plan.