PRIME Minister Imran Khan has launched another futuristic programme – Plan for Big Cities – that is aimed at improving the overall living conditions in the otherwise almost unliveable cities.
Chairing a meeting on the subject, he vowed to develop big cities as they are the real engines of growth for the national economy.
He directed the authorities concerned to work in close coordination and launch a concerted campaign for the uplift and development of big cities like Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala.
Apart from the cities referred to by the Prime Minister, many other cities and towns are becoming unmanageable due to migration from rural areas and the resultant pressure on civic amenities as well as their unplanned expansion and growth.
It was in this backdrop that Imran Khan asked officials concerned in March 2021 to revise master plans of ten major cities on a top priority basis to check their unplanned expansion and to specify separate areas for farming, accommodation and business activities.
However, it seems the relevant agencies are taking too much time because of their lethargic attitude and as a result the problems of big cities are compounding with the passage of time.
The new master plans would, understandably, take care of future expansion but there is also dire need to upgrade facilities in major cities and towns to help mitigate sufferings of the people in terms of traffic congestion, garbage disposal, sewerage system, environmental hazards, water supply, faulty power distribution network, non-availability of recreational sites, quality health and educational institutions and crime control.
Pending revision of the master plans, the Government also needs to launch projects like Ravi Urban Development in suburban areas of big cities to release pressure on them on an urgent basis as landscape is changing with the passage of every day.
