{
  "id": 12363267,
  "title": "Faisalabad’s 20-Year Master Plan Faces Delay",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/faisalabads-20-year-master-plan-faces-delay",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T10:44:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPakistani",
    "slug": "propakistani",
    "url": "https://propakistani.pk/2026/10/06/faisalabads-20-year-master-plan-faces-delay/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Technical circles and urban planning experts have raised worries over the delay in finalizing and implementing the Faisalabad Master Plan 2021-41, as uncertainty surrounding the city’s future development plan is impacting long-term strategies. Approved by the Faisalabad Development Authority Board of Governors on December 22, 2022, the master plan is seen as a crucial document for Faisalabad’s economic and urban progress. However, the Lahore High Court later annulled the plan, citing a lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to finalization.\n\nAbdul Ghaffar, a former WASA director, explained that private housing projects were previously governed by the Faisalabad Peri-Urban Structure Plan 2015, covering approximately 912 square kilometers. The new master plan, in contrast, encompasses a significantly larger area. The Anti-Corruption Establishment initiated proceedings on July 20, 2023, against Board of Governors Chairman Mian Waris Aziz and then FDA Director General Zahid Ikram, who are accused of granting undue advantages to private housing developers. The Lahore High Court subsequently instructed the FDA on March 26, 2024, to acquire a new EIA report from the Environment Department. Despite this directive, the FDA resorted to an intra-court appeal, which was dismissed on September 15, 2025. As a result, the FDA reverted to the 2015 peri-urban structure plan, despite it being outdated following the approval of the new master plan in 2022. Ghaffar further pointed out that zones designated for residential use in the 2021-41 plan are now classified as green zones under the older structure plan, while ongoing development work persists in these areas.\n\nArchitect Amjad Ali Khan stated that the FDA had initially awarded a Rs50 million contract for the preparation of the master plan, which was subsequently abandoned. He emphasized that any alteration to the zoning structure would compel the FDA to revise the existing plan or develop a new one, both of which would necessitate additional financial resources. Town planner Nadeem Khursheed clarified that an EIA serves as a statutory instrument to evaluate the environmental and societal impacts of development projects, aiming to identify potential environmental harm, propose mitigation strategies, promote public participation, and assist the appropriate authorities in determining whether a project can proceed and under what conditions. FDA Director General Chaudhry Muhammad Asif mentioned that the EIA report had been forwarded to the Director General of Environment Punjab for review and a public hearing, which is still pending. He added that due to the invalidated master plan, the FDA is obligated to approve layout plans for new housing colonies under the 2015 peri-urban structure plan adopted by the previous City District Government.",
  "summary": "Technical circles and town planning experts have expressed concern over the delay in finalising and enforcing the Faisalabad Master Plan … Read More The post Faisalabad’s 20-Year Master Plan Faces Delay appeared first on ProPakistani .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}