PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

1. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Prof. Dr. S. Shabih-ul-Hassan Zaidi Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.

2. THE ISSUE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANS • The Master Plans must be implemented because a lot of effort and time is invested in their preparation and the future development of the human settlements depends on them. • Non-implementation of Master Plans results in the wastage of money spent in their preparation and causes unplanned growth of cities in the form of slums. • The plans prepared in the past did not consider the implementation aspects properly.

3. Important Aspects of Plan Implementation • People’s Participation and Community Empowerment • Financing of the Plan Provisions • Planning Laws and Legal Backing of the Plans • Building and Development Control • Institutional Framework and Authority for preparation and Implementation of the Plan • Coordination among Line Departments • Monitoring and Evaluation of the Plan • Continuity in the Planning Process

4. People’s Participation and Community Empowerment • Community organization should be initiated by government authorities by forming the CCBs to initiate self-help and matching grants projects through them. • Self-help and participatory projects should be introduced to improve the existing slum areas and to develop new low income housing and related public utility services and public facilities. • Socio-economic surveys should be made mandatory for preparation of Master Plans so that people’s opinions and suggestions may be obtained and incorporated in the plans. • Local community leaders such as Imams of mosques and political leaders should be used to propagate the need for people’s participation and their empowerment to resolve local issues at local level at affordable costs. • Community participation and particularly women’s participation may be encouraged through electronic media campaigns.

5. Financing of the Plans • New innovative ways of financing projects such as BOT should be suggested in the Master Plans. • Financial arrangements should be recorded for all proposals in the Master Plan. • Government subsidies and cross subsidies should be arranged for low income projects. • Self financing projects should be encouraged and incremental development projects may be suggested as an alternative to financing through loans.

6. Sources of Finance • Loans from government institutions such as HBFC (House Building Finance Corporation). • Loans from commercial banks. • Matching Grants, e.g. CCBs (Citizen Community Boards) financing @ 80:20. • Self-financing projects such as LDA Avenue I. • Private sector financing e.g. Franchised Bus System where private investors invest money. • Informal Savings such as Beesee (Committee) system. • Government subsidies and Cross subsidies projects. • Federal and Provincial Government grants.

7. Planning Laws and Legal Backing of the Plans • A comprehensive Town Planning law should be enacted at national or provincial level. • Preparation and implementation of Master Plans should be mandatory for all local planning authorities. • Master Plan should be approved by the local council (e.g. Tehsil Municipal Council) and after approval it should become a legal document.

8. Building and Development Control • Detailed building control and development scheme approval byelaws should be prepared. • Building byelaws should be advertised properly to enhance people’s awareness. • Qualified town planners should be employed in the building and development control sections of the local authorities. • One window operation should be implemented to curb the corruption.

9. Institutional Framework and Authority for Implementation • Town Planning and Building Control cell should be created in each Tehsil/ Town Municipal Administration. • Qualified Town Planners should be employed as T.O. (P&C) to prepare and implement the Master Plans in every TMA. • Adequate number of professional and allied staff should be provided in each TMA, Development Authority and other Federal and Provincial Town Planning departments.

10. Coordination among Line Departments • Qualified Town Planner working as TO (P&C) should act as laison officer between various line departments such as WASA, TEPA, WAPDA, PTCL etc. and to maintain horizontal and vertical linkages. • Copies of approved Master Plans should be available with all concerned line departments for ready reference and implementation of their projects according to the provisions of the Master Plan. • All departments which carry out any kind of development works must coordinate with each other and the local Planning agency to avoid wastage of development works and inconvenience to the general public.

11. Monitoring and Evaluation of the Master Plan • There should be a provision of interim evaluation of the Master Plans after completion of every phase. • A system of monitoring of the plans should be suggested within the Master Plans. • An evaluation and research cell should be created in each local planning authority to monitor and evaluate the Master Plans regularly.

12. Continuity in the Planning Process • The Master Planning should be envisaged as a continuous process. It means that new Master Plans should be prepared after the expiry of the planning period and the plans should be revised after every phase, say 5 years. • The preparation of local plans and area development schemes should continue, on a regular basis, during the Planning period according to a phase wise programme. • Modern technology such as GIS should be used to prepare the Master Plans and other Local plans quickly and on sound technical basis.