Islamabad Master Plan: Cabinet approves federal commission’s provisional report

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved the provisional report of the federal commission, which was constituted to review Islamabad's Master Plan.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) board also approved the report on Monday to make it part of the CDA building bylaws, planning rules and parameters. Notification of new bylaws would be issued soon.

According to new rules, high-rise buildings would be encouraged in the Blue Area and Mauve Area, while increase in floor area percentage was also approved.

The report said the prime minister had the vision to build vertical buildings. The covered area of 'Mamti' of residential houses was also increased. It is for the first time bylaws have been made to construct buildings on the Islamabad Express Way, Murree Road, Lehtrar Road, Fateh Jang Road, Park Road, and GT Road. High-rise buildings will also be encouraged in those areas but only after conditionalising them with traffic movement and environmental pollution.

The new bylaws made attaining of NOCs for private housing societies easier and reduced the size of the plot up to 200 kanals instead of 400 kanals. The vertical structures and green characters for private housing societies would be encouraged. The report said the issue of mixing sewerage water in upper parts of Korang River and Rawal Dam would be resolved.

The board also resolved civil engineers and BTech degree holders’ issue according to the Supreme Court and High Court’s decisions. The BTech degree holders will not be posted on position of professional engineers, while seven posts of Grade-18 were designated for them.

The report said the application was rejected to commercialise the residential plots with serial numbers 50 to 55 of G/9-4 Area and declared that the federal cabinet had such mandate. The board also rejected the application to turn down the cancellation of an allotted plot for a school in Sector H/8-1.

The board also rejected the 2013 decision of commercialization of plot number 26, G-6 Markaz, and said the plot can only be used for marriage hall and any structure other than a marriage hall would not be allowed and demolished. It also decided to present all the facts about using the road of Agro-Farming Scheme by PTI leader Aleem Khan’s Park View Housing Society before the Islamabad High Court.