Key Takeaways
- The Faisalabad Master Plan 2021-41 has been struck down by the Lahore High Court.
- The plan, covering 1,440 square kilometres, was approved in 2022 but is now in limbo.
- The FDA is awaiting a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment report from the Environment Department.
Technical circles and town planning experts have raised concerns over the delay in finalising and enforcing the Faisalabad Master Plan 2021-41, which was approved by the Faisalabad Development Authority Board of Governors on December 22, 2022.
The Lahore High Court struck down the plan after finding that the required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had not been obtained before finalisation.
Abdul Ghaffar, a retired WASA director, stated that the Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a case on July 20, 2023, against Board of Governors Chairman Mian Waris Aziz and FDA Director General Zahid Ikram over alleged undue benefits to private housing developers.
The Lahore High Court directed the FDA on March 26, 2024, to obtain a fresh EIA report from the Environment Department. However, the FDA later filed an intra-court appeal, which was dismissed on September 15, 2025.
Ghaffar claimed that the FDA had reverted to the 2015 peri-urban structure plan, despite approval of the new master plan in 2022. He noted that areas marked as residential zones under the 2021-41 plan were now being treated as green zones under the older structure plan, leading to confusion in development work.
Architect Amjad Ali Khan said that 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 additional funding.
Town planner Nadeem Khursheed explained that an EIA is a statutory tool used to assess the environmental and social impact of development projects, identifying possible environmental damage, recommending mitigation measures, supporting public participation, and helping the competent authority decide whether a project can proceed and under what conditions.
FDA Director General Chaudhry Muhammad Asif stated that the EIA report had been sent to the Director General Environment Punjab for vetting and a public hearing, which was still pending. He added that in the absence of the struck-down master plan, the FDA was bound to approve layout plans for new housing colonies under the 2015 peri-urban structure plan adopted by the then City District Government.
The Lahore High Court directed the FDA on March 26, 2024, to obtain a fresh EIA report from the Environment Department.
Abdul Ghaffar, Retired WASA director
In the absence of the struck-down master plan, the FDA is bound to approve layout plans for new housing colonies under the 2015 peri-urban structure plan adopted by the then City District Government.
Chaudhry Muhammad Asif, FDA Director General
