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       ？ LG Minister Ghani chairs maiden session of steering committee for Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047

       ？ Says absence of master plan led to disorganised, haphazard urban growth

       ？ Mayor promises to include all relevant stakeholders in formation of new plan

       KARACHI: The maiden meeting of the steering committee tasked to develop the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 was informed on Thursday that the new master plan of the country’s commercial capital would be ready within two years.

       Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani chaired the inaugural meeting of the high-powered body, which was also attended by Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, director generals of the Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Development Authority, Malir Development Authority and Lyari Development Authority, Additional Chief Secretary-Local Government Waseem Shamshad, Senior Member Board of Revenue Baqaullah Unar, Planning & Development Secretary Sajjad Abbasi, Project Director Muhammad Arshad Khan, representatives of the project’s consulting firms and other officials.

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       The meeting was told that under the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047, a comprehensive master plan for the city will be developed within the next two years by the local government department in collaboration with all stakeholders, civic agencies, and civil society organisations.

       Participants of the meeting were briefed by the project director on the progress made so far on the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047, while representatives of consulting companies involved also presented a comprehensive review of the Phase-I of the project.

       ‘No approved master plan’

       Speaking on the occasion, LG Minister Ghani, who is also the chairman of the steering committee, said currently there is no approved master plan for Karachi.

       He said that the absence of an approved master plan of Karachi has resulted in disorganised urban growth.

       He said the government has started work to develop the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047, an ambitious initiative aimed at monitoring the city’s future growth and resolving civic and infrastructural issues.

       According to a press release issued after the meeting, he said the master plan aims to address illegal constructions and bring improvements across all key sectors of the metropolis, including water supply, sewerage, health, education, transport, infrastructure and commerce.

       The minister said that the new master plan would serve as a crucial blueprint for the city’s development over the next two decades.

       Previous plan expired in 2017, says mayor

       Mayor Wahab told the meeting that the last master plan for the city was extended up to 2017. He said it had expired and the absence of a new master plan has caused difficulties across all sectors and led to the city’s unregulated expansion.

       He expressed optimism that upon completion of this project and the formulation of the Master Plan 2047, it will be possible to better address Karachi’s infrastructure and public issues.

       The mayor added that the Sindh government and the local government department were making all-out efforts to ensure that all relevant stakeholders who can play a vital role in the city’s and country’s progress are included in the formation of the plan.

       It may be noted that six master plans have been prepared for Karachi in the 1923, 1948, 1952, 1974, 1991 and 2007. The last plan — Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 — was prepared by the now defunct City District Government Karachi but it could not be fully implemented due to various reasons.

       Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2025