The Punjab government has approved the One Map Punjab initiative, a Rs 14,660 million digital geospatial platform designed to consolidate all provincial mapping, land records, infrastructure data, and public sector development project information into a single integrated system. The Punjab Information Technology Board will execute the project, with the Planning and Development Department serving as the sponsoring agency responsible for overseeing implementation and accountability. Lahore will serve as the pilot city for the platform before a phased expansion covers all districts across Punjab.
The platform addresses a fundamental challenge that has long plagued Punjab’s development planning and governance: the fragmentation of geospatial and land record data across multiple departments, each maintaining separate databases and workflows with limited cross-departmental visibility. Under the One Map Punjab system, all government assets and development projects will be digitally mapped within a unified environment, eliminating the duplication and coordination gaps that currently cause costly conflicts in infrastructure planning. Automated analysis tools embedded within the platform will identify clashes between utility lines and development works, reducing the errors and project delays that arise from inadequate communication between departments responsible for roads, drainage, electricity, gas, and other overlapping infrastructure.
A dedicated decision support system will be developed as a core component of the platform, giving policymakers access to real-time geospatial data to inform resource allocation decisions at the provincial planning level. This shifts Punjab’s planning methodology from reactive coordination, where conflicts are discovered after work has begun, to proactive analysis, where potential overlaps and resource demands are identified before project implementation begins. The combination of an integrated asset registry, automated conflict detection, and a policy decision support layer represents a meaningful upgrade in how Punjab will plan, coordinate, and monitor its physical development footprint across the province’s 36 districts.
The project budget includes Rs 537 million allocated for a 36-member expert team in human resources and Rs 324 million reserved for technical infrastructure and hosting requirements. Planning forums have directed authorities to rationalise expenses before implementation begins, including reducing laptop procurement, eliminating mobile allowances, and removing unnecessary honorarium payments from the project budget. Authorities have also been instructed to establish strict security protocols for sensitive geographical data and to develop a sustainable revenue model that ensures the platform’s long-term financial viability beyond the initial development phase, reducing dependence on recurring government budget allocations for its continued operation.
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