Punjab Cabinet has approved the Punjab Spatial Strategy to give effect to spatial planning regime in Punjab. Government has developed ‘Punjab Jobs & Competitiveness Program for Results,’ with the assistance of World Bank, to support sustainable economic development in Province. Punjab Spatial Strategy (PSS) was one of the key components of the program.
Habib ur Rehman Gillani, Chairman Planning and Development Board Punjab, who guided the approval processes and finalization of the Strategy, stressed on the need for implementation of this strategy. He added that leveraging these strong foundations in spatial data and analysis will not only augment the capacities in development planning but will also integrate the individual schemes with the larger development vision set by the government.
Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Provincial Secretary Planning & Development said that the spatial approach will enable Punjab to move in a unified direction, building on comparative advantage and enhance competitiveness. This will also ensure balanced and organized spatial development across the Province. Both Chairman P&D Board and Secretary P&D appreciated the hard work and efforts of the Urban Unit Team in research and formulation of Punjab Spatial Strategy. Planning and Development Board has been working with the Urban Unit to collect spatial data of Punjab, which was analyzed under guidance of leading national and international experts. The strategy is developed under the guidance of Dr. Salman Shah, Advisor to CM Punjab on Economic Affairs, Planning & Development and Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht for his continuous support and patronage in getting PSS approved. The aim to work on PSS was not only to build foundations of geospatial data in planning process of Punjab but also deploy this spatial database for effective use in policymaking, especially in relation to development programs. Using new technologies and strategies for geospatial data, Punjab can exploit alternative information sources such as acquiring remotely sensed data in addition to using conventional survey technology.
PSS is a long-term spatial planning framework for the province of Punjab. It sets out spatial policies to provide evidence-based direction to the pattern of public and private investment in Punjab, and acts as a layout plan for continuous and sustainable development in the Province. These spatial policies take forward key aims of the PSS and also ensure alignment of public sector investments and spatial governance in sector of environment, agriculture, irrigation, industries and cities. PSS aims to ensure integrated spatial planning for transforming Punjab into an economically developed and sustainable region by adding a spatial dimension to the development and planning process. The strategy also identifies potential growth corridors and nodes around which to prioritize and coordinate investments. PSS not only integrates spatial planning vertically across provincial, regional and local levels but also links it horizontally across various public sector stakeholders.