Faisalabad’s 20-Year Master Plan Faces Delay

Technical circles and town planning experts have expressed concern over the delay in finalising and enforcing the Faisalabad Master Plan 2021-41, saying uncertainty over the city's future development framework is affecting long-term planning.

Key points

• According to Ghaffar, the Lahore High Court directed the FDA on March 26, 2024, to obtain a fresh EIA report from the Environment Department.
• It is considered a key document for Faisalabad's economic and urban future, was approved by the Faisalabad Development Authority Board of Governors on December 22, 2022.
• Abdul Ghaffar, a retired WASA director, remarked private housing schemes had earlier been regulated under the Faisalabad Peri-Urban Structure Plan 2015.
• FDA Director General Chaudhry Muhammad Asif remarked the EIA report had been sent to the Director General Environment Punjab for vetting and a public hearing.
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Experts say the master plan. It is considered a key document for Faisalabad's economic and urban future, was approved by the Faisalabad Development Authority Board of Governors on December 22, 2022.

Sources remarked the Lahore High Court afterwards struck down the plan after finding that the required Environmental Impact Assessment had not been obtained before finalisation.

Abdul Ghaffar, a retired WASA director, remarked private housing schemes had earlier been regulated under the Faisalabad Peri-Urban Structure Plan 2015. It covered around 912 square kilometres, while the new master plan covered a much larger area. Rawalpindi District Coordination Committee Reviews Development Projects Worth Rs. 323 Billion.

He remarked the Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a case on July 20, 2023, against Board of Governors Chairman and MPA Mian Waris Aziz and then FDA Director General Zahid Ikram over alleged undue benefits to private housing developers.

According to Ghaffar, the Lahore High Court directed the FDA on March 26, 2024, to obtain a fresh EIA report from the Environment Department. The FDA afterwards filed an intra-court appeal. It was dismissed on September 15, 2025.

He remarked that after the dismissal, the FDA again reverted to the 2015 peri-urban structure plan, even though it had become outdated after approval of the new master plan in 2022.

While development work in one such area was continuing, he additionally maintained that areas marked as residential zones under the 2021-41 plan were now being treated as green zones under the older structure plan.

Architect Amjad Ali Khan remarked the FDA had earlier awarded a Rs50 million contract for preparation of the master plan. It was afterwards scrapped. Muhammad Burhan Mirza on the AI Shift Already Transforming Pakistani Workplaces.

He remarked any change in the zoning structure would force the FDA to revise the existing master plan or prepare a new one, both of which would require further funding.

Town planner Nadeem Khursheed remarked an EIA is a statutory tool employed to assess the environmental and social impact of development projects.

He remarked it is meant to identify feasible environmental damage, recommend mitigation measures, backing public participation and assist the competent authority decide whether a project can proceed and under what conditions.

FDA Director General Chaudhry Muhammad Asif remarked the EIA report had been sent to the Director General Environment Punjab for vetting and a public hearing. It is still awaited.

He continued that in the absence of the struck-down master plan, the FDA is bound to approve layout aims for new housing colonies under the 2015 peri-urban structure plan adopted by the then City District Administration. Stay Connected with ProPakistani. Obtain the latest news and stories wherever you prefer. Follow on Google Discover.

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For now, faisalabad's 20 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.