BAMYAN CITY (PAN): Urban Development Minister Hassan Abdulhai said on Saturday a master plan for the development of Bamyan City had been prepared and was ready for execution.
The minister told a press conference in Bamyan City, the provincial capital, that the plan would cover central parts of the province and benefit a million people.
“The master plan will cover about 4,000 hectares of land. It will secure Bamyan’s cultural heritage,” he hoped, saying the legacy included two Buddha statues, 3,000 rare caves and Ghulghula township.
He said no one would be allowed to construct buildings near historical sites and those already erected would be razed as part of the master plan.
The minister said the survey and technical issues concerning the master plan had been completed and the strategy was ready to be implemented. The plan will take 15 years to complete.
Last year, the Urban Development Ministry announced preparing master plans for major cities and sent a team of engineers to Bamyan, where thousands of unplanned or illegal houses have been set up on hilltops.
However, Abdulhai said such structures would be torn down after negotiations with their owners who would be provided new houses elsewhere.
Governor Habiba Sarabi hoped the master plan, once implemented, would turn Bamyan City into a modern and developed town. She promised her administration would leave no stone unturned in making the plan a success.
