BEYOND HORIZONS, IN THE REALM OF

PLANNERS OWN
ALLAH Almighty Says:
Do not cause corruption on earth, after it has been set in order. But call on Him with fear and hope. Surely, the
Mercy of Allah is always near for those who do good. (Surah al-Araf: Verse no. 56)

Editorial Board Message from the Chairman: Prof. Dr. Rizwan Hameed
Awais Ali Khan

(2012-CRP)

Sameen Baber

(2012-CRP)

Izma Sultan

(2012-CRP)

Ayesha Khursheed

(2013-CRP)

Abdifatah Kassim

(2013-CRP)
Prolusion
Abdul Qadir Jillani

(2014-CRP)
Dear readers,

Planners own bring a novel restructuring in this edition by value additions in the
team. The Department of City and Regional Planning has been custodian of news
Whats Inside? letter in UET Lahore, with the trend now being emerging in other faculties. Under
patronization of the facultys current approach, this edition is more improved ver-
sion. Town planning fields significance in this new era of development has become
Chairmans message
more substantial than ever before. With inclusive and sustainable considerations of
Prolusion
pre-emptive measures for future, development can be guided in right directions.
Urban Waves Around This edition will provide you a comprehensive outlook into events and occurring

DCRP News
happening in DCRP.

Research Activities We hope that the issue will give you a deep insight of the colourful life at DCRP.

Students Spotlight Looking forward to your valuable feedback.

Students Desk Signing off!

Wish Box Editorial Board

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URBAN WAVES AROUND

Training course on Analytical Methods for Planners and Social
Scientist

The Department of City & Regional Planning arranged 3 weeks (5

working days from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm) training course on Analytical
Methods (Quantitative) for Planners and Social Scientist on August 17,
2015. The prime objective of the course is to introduce participants to the
key concepts and tools in Quantitative Analysis and Research Methods.
These included Regression Analysis, Measuring Land Uses Mix, Testing
of the Hypotheses, ANOVA, Cluster Analysis, Principal Component
Analysis etc. The venue of the course was the Conference Room of the
Department of City & Regional Planning UET Lahore. The training
course was instructed by Dr. Amir Aziz.

Presentation on Orange Line Metro Project

A presentation on Orange Line Project was held on Oct 7th,

2015 at 11:00 AM in New Auditorium Complex. It was presented by the
Project Director and Chief Engineer LDA. In the session, students were
briefed about the project details i.e. route of the orange line metro train,
infrastructural arrangements, work line schedules and other engineering
as well as managerial aspects of this mega project. Moreover, final year
students were encouraged to do their thesis work on related aspects of
this project for academic guidance and feedback.

A Ph.D. returns to DCRP (Dr. Atif Bilal)

Just after being appointed as Assistant Professor in 2011, Mr. Atif

Bilal went to Germany for his Ph.D. He successfully completed his Ph.D.
in the faculty of Spatial Planning from TU Dortmund University. His
research program revolved around sustainable urban development, mi-
gration development interaction and global economic crisis. He formally
joined back DCRP in October 2015 and now he is engaged in teaching
graduate and undergraduate students.

IPP Peshawar Chapters meeting

IPP Peshawar Chapters Meeting was held on 17 November 2015

at Peshawar University under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ghulam Abbas
Anjum. Various town planning issues and a way forward to recognize
Town Planning as a profession in the province were discussed. It was
decided that IPP will work in close collaboration with the Department of

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URBAN WAVES AROUND

Urban and Regional Planning, University of Peshawar to conduct
workshops, seminars and meetings with government officials to realize
the importance of the profession.

Lecture on Building Control Mechanism as followed in LDA

An Instructive and inclusive lecture was delivered by Mr. Rana

Tahir Mehmood, Assistant Director, LDA on Building Control Mechanism
as followed in the Lahore Development Authority, on 2nd December 2015.
The lecture included a detailed explanation of operations, hierarchy and
working overlaps of executing agencies, and their comparative perfor-
mance on implementation of building regulations. These insights are of
real importance for final year students, who have a tendency of joining
LDA as ADs after graduation, which can be imparted in their minds for
pre-emptive understanding.

Glimpse of the World Town Planning Day

World town planning day was celebrated and organized by DCRP

on 5th December 2015, which was followed by some technical and non-
technical sessions. Technical sessions included a number of presentations
and discussions on the topic, Housing Regeneration: Strengthening
Communities (Role of planning and planners). The non-technical session
included quiz competition among the students from different sessions of
DCRP and an art exhibition by Madam Erum Ashfaq. Town Planners
from various organizations, scholars, teachers and students participated in
both of the sessions. After the technical session, respected Vice Chancellor
of UET, Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmed Khalid addressed the participants and
appreciated their efforts. A formal dinner was arranged which proved to
be an opportunity for alumni, practitioners of town planning and students
to intermingle and share their views to improve the functioning of our
cities through planning measures. Town planners honored the occasion
with their worthy presence from whole Pakistan and made this event
worth remembering.

Art Exhibition at DCRP

The arduous efforts of 2012 and 2013 sessions are really worth
appreciating. Artistic minds decorated the whole department on the eve
of Art Exhibition and made many eyes stunned. Later, an exhibition of the
stupendous artist, Ms. Erum Ashfaq (89 CRP), was formally inaugurated
by Vice Chancellor UET, Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid on 5th December

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URBAN WAVES AROUND

2015 at DCRP. In approbation of the talent displayed by Ms. Erum, the
Vice Chancellor declared the exhibition to be opened for another two
days. Masterpieces drawn by Ms. Erum kept on spell bounding the
visitors for the next two days too.

Seminar on Waste Management System in Lahore

A lecture focused on the Waste Management System in Lahore

was delivered to the 2014 session on 24 December 2015 by Mr. Aqeel
Suleman, Deputy Manager (Planning & Operations) Lahore Waste
Management Company. The seminar aimed at making the sophomores
aware of the waste collection, storage and disposal systems in Lahore
and the stakeholders involved. The lecture was delivered under the
auspices of the course Environmental Planning and Management
taught by the Honorable Chairman of DCRP, Prof. Dr. Rizwan Hameed.

New Appointments & Recruitments

Just after a few months of passing out, many graduates of 2011

session have made their way into various prestigious organizations.
Nabeel Anjum Khan has acquired a position at Bahria Tow n. Shahroze
Javaid, Nida Batool, Mariyam Aslam and Usama Younas have been
appointed as research associates in The Urban Unit. Sumbla Mirza has
been hired to work for the Urban Developers Associates, Naila Ashraf
for Sevcon Services Consultants and Atal Khan for Urban Planning and
Design Limited. Affaq Butt and Qasim Ashraf are serving Sheher Saaz (Pvt)
Ltd. Muhammad Ashraf secured a job in Multan Development Authority and
Muhammad Nadeem Rao is working for Osm ani & Com pany (Pvt) Ltd.
Sarfaraz Ahmed made his way to Bin Khalid Group and Muhammad
Shafaat Nawaz advanced his career with Izhar Consultants. We
congratulate all of them on their success.

Arrival of 2015 Batch in DCRP

The Editorial Board welcomes CRP 2015 on the behalf of DCRP.

The new faces look energetic showing high spirits in many aspects. The
fact that they are well adapted to the different aspects of social life of the
university proves their ability. Well a journey of a thousand miles starts
with one step, their journey of four years just started, and we wish them
all the best. The good news for them is that Prof. Dr. Ghulam Abbas
Anjum will be teaching them Introduction to Town Planning and we all
know by hearing that, they will enjoy their start.

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DCRP NEWS
Internship Program of 12 And 13 Batch
Internship programs are designed to provide students with an opportunity to work on real tasks
and gain practical experience in the field. These programs gave students an exposure to the professional
environment, which polishes their communication and professional dealing skills. Students with intern-
ships on their rsum have a much better chance of landing a better job upon graduation.

Realizing the importance of internships, the students of the second and third year engaged
themselves in various internship programs in the summer break.

Awais Yaseen, Iffrah Riaz, Javeria, Farwa, Nimra and Humna from 2012 session along with Ayesha
Hanif, Asra Shabeer, Rab Nawaz, Qaiser Abbas, Asad Imtiaz, Mubasher Hussain and Shabab Aslam from
2013 session carried out their internship program in Pakistan Railways Headquarter Lahore. They remain
associated with the information technology department of Pakistan Railways where they worked as GIS
experts. Their main task was to prepare land use maps along the railway track to check the accurate location
of trains at every point. For that purpose, digitization along the railway line of whole Pakistan was done in
order to identify major landmarks along the rail route. This project will be beneficial to detect the exact
location of trains in emergency cases with the help of location devices provided in trains.

Students of 2012 session; Amna Zahid, Nida Chohan, Anum Hafeez, Sameen Baber, Mamoona,
Aneeza Qaiser, Quratulain Anwar and Quratulain Ayaz worked as internees in The Urban Unit. They were
grouped in the urban planning wing to carry out a number of assignments. They remained a part of the
team that is working on the biggest project of the century i.e. The New City project. Proposed on the Lillah
Interchange of Motorway M2, New City is currently undergoing a pre-feasibility study. The internees also
contributed to Eco-tourism Program for Soon Valley, being carried out by The Urban Unit in collaboration
with the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP), by carrying out research studies and
digitization tasks. In the finest working environment of The Urban Unit, they managed to learn a couple of
essential software as well.

Abdul Haseeb, Iqra Rafiq and Quratulain Anwar got internship in the Transport Planning Unit
where they carried out various research studies like comparison of mitigation measures of impacts
suggested in the EIA of Orange Line Metro Train, Lahore with the internationally adopted mitigation
measures during the planning, construction and operation phases. They also reviewed numerous reports
such as terminal zoning in Sialkot city and setting of parameters for selection of suitable location for A, B,
C & D class bus terminals and accessibility mobility audit report, Faisalabad.

Fasih Asif, Qandeel Raza, Sana Naseer, Samia and Safia Mustafa did their internships at the Lahore
Development Authority where they were associated with different deputy directors. Apart from having a
thorough understanding of the functions of their particular wings, LDA act and LDA PHS rules, they
carried out various assignments and tasks to get know-how of the approval process of housing schemes.
Their internship program also included field visit of Dream Gardens and LDA City housing scheme.

Muhammad Ali got internship at the Capital Development Authority, Islamabad. He conducted a

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DCRP NEWS
number of field surveys of various approved and proposed housing schemes to have a practical knowledge
of the processes involved in the approval and sanctioning of housing schemes.

Ahmad Waqas worked with the Urban Developers Associates as a part of the team that carried out
planning and design of Grand Avenues housing scheme. Waqar Ahmad managed to work as an internee for
planning and execution, in PC&S Department of Descon, where he remain associated with the project
management tasks using Primavera software. Shanza Nasir completed her internship in TMA Renala
Khurd, Okara.

Students of 2012 session belonging to KPK i.e. Seemab Jalees, Shakir Ali Khan, Amir Ali and Javed
shah worked in the Peshawar Development Authority as internees. Besides carrying out various daily tasks
and getting acquainted with the working procedures of PDA, they actively contributed in the street naming
and numbering project.

These internship programs have helped the students of DCRP to have an in-depth comprehension of
the field work and have widened their outlooks about the town planning field.

Purchase of New Books for DCRP Library

There has been a new inclusion of books in
the DCRP library. More than fifty new books have
been purchased. This has made both the staff and
students get the preferred references easily. Library
Information Management System (LIMS) is the
search engine that helps the users save time. By
using book title, author name and other searchable
keywords, the LIMS of DCRP helps students find all
available books in a few clicks. Another addition is
e-books that are stored in the computers. Since the
advanced technology is making man closer to electronics, many will prefer reading the books of their choice
in soft form. Both the hard and soft form books make DCRP library one of the most updated libraries in the
campus.

Computer Lab Up gradation

Computers are the tools that attempt to bridge the gap between knowledge and knowledge
seekers. Realizing the importance of computer labs for research and practical work, the computer lab of
DCRP has been upgraded. The lab that previously owned 1 Core i5 and 15 Core i3 computers, sponsored by
the Alumni of DCRP, now has 60 latest Core i7 computers. The up gradation has been done by the campus
administration in order to provide the students up-to-date technology for their projects and research work.
This up gradation will also help the students of DCRP to enjoy a better working experience with software
like GIS, 3D Max and AutoCAD.

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DCRP NEWS

DCRPs faculty inclusion in Universitys various management committees

God has blessed our department with dedicated and well-managing faculty members. Conse-
quently, some of them are also the part of various management committees of the university.

Prof. Dr. Ghulam Abbas Anjum (Convener, Assets Management Committee)

Prof. Dr. Ijaz Ahmed (Chairman, Transport Committee)

Prof. Dr. Shaker (Member, Transport Committee)

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Asim (Member, Food and Hygiene Committee)

Mr. Syed Arif Hussain (Member, Food and Hygiene Committee)

MSc. students graduated

A number of students of MSc. have completed their theses during the period, July-
December 2015 from DCRP.

Sr. Name of Student Fathers Name Registration Date of Thesis

no. number Notification
1 Ammara Zahoor Zahoor Ahmad Khan 2009-MS-CRP-11 01-04-2015
2 Ahmad Saeed Sultan Saeed Sultan 2009-MS-CRP-13 25-06-2015
3 Sabeen Mustafa Ghulam Mustafa 2010-MS-CRP-02 30-11-2015
4 Aqeel Suliman Muhammad Suliman 2009-MS-CRP-06 11-12-2015
5 Safoora Younus Muhammad Younus 2007-MS-CRP-05 14-12-2015
6 Zaheer Abbas Ghulam Shabbir 2012-MS-CRP-12 11-12-2015
7 Syed Ali Abbas Syed Javaid Arshad 2010-MS-CRP-12 31-12-2015

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DCRP NEWS

Revision of Course Outline

DCRP course outline aims to not only develop expertise in students for resolving the issues relevant
to urbanization, but also targets to cultivate interdisciplinary skills i.e., leadership, social responsibility,
equity, ethics, decision making, advocacy and public involvement.

In the same context, the course outline of DCRP has been revised to impart knowledge and develop
expertise among the students. When it comes to the professional field, various jobs require specialized skills.
So to meet the market demands, a new course has been introduced in the course outline named as
Entrepreneurship. That will not only steer up entrepreneurship creativity but will also boost up leader-
ship skills of the students. Besides that, some core courses have been introduced to bring the degree in line
with the engineering requirements and to achieve the goal of outcome based education. Applied Physics
and Environmental chemistry are one of those courses. Applied Physics specifically focuses on urban spaces
and buildings keeping in view the energy requirements. Similarly, another course, Environmental chemistry
has been added to make the students familiarize with water quality test, air pollutants etc. Considering the
difficulties being faced by previous sessions in making manual 3D models under the subject Planning of
new towns, a course namely Workshop Practice has also been introduced.

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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Final Year Sets Out For Master Planning To Abbottabad
2nd November 2015 marked the beginning of the most memorable days for the final year students
as they set out for Abbottabad to conduct their master planning survey.

For many years, students of DCRP have been preparing master plans for the cities of Punjab. It was
realized that students must have experience of working in areas other than that of Punjab, particularly
hilly areas. Thus, based on the planning need and favourable conditions, Abbottabad was selected as the
city for master planning. While preparing the base map and questionnaires for master planning survey,
the zeal and zest of the students knew no bounds and finally came the day of departure. 51 enthusiastic
students were accompanied by Dr. Muhammad Asim and Mrs. Saima Rafique for the first week of their
stay at Abbottabad and by their course instructors Dr. Obaidullah Nadeem and Mr. Arif Hussain in the
second week.

Upon arrival, a meeting with the officials of TMA Abbottabad was conducted to make sure that
students wouldnt face any problems during the survey. After a slight delay due to bad weather, finally,
the surveys were conducted to know the problems faced by dwellers of the city from planning perspective.

Abbottabad is the most attractive hill station for tourists because of its pleasant weather and
breath-taking natural beauty. The city is also famous for its high-standard educational institutions and
Pakistan Military Academy Kakul. However, since the earthquake of 2005, Abbottabad is facing severe
problems because of the lack of proper physical and economic planning.

Students identified the absence of solid waste management system, improper sewerage system and
poor road conditions as the core problems of the city. The areas for improvement and potential for new
development were also pointed out. Moreover, interviews were conducted from the officials of various
concerned departments to know their future plans to manage the growth and development of the city.

Apart from these academic activities, recreational tours of Shinkiyari, Harnoi, Namli Maira and
Murree were also arranged. The master planning team returned after completing the tiresome task of data
collection with unforgettable recollections of field surveys during the daytime, collective meals in the
mess hall and entertaining evenings with friends.

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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Session 2014: Trip to Islamabad

A trip was arranged for the students of the 2014 session to Islamabad. The sophomores set off for
their first ever tour since their admission on 28th November 2015, so one can guess their excitement levels.
The purpose of trip other than entertainment was to observe and understand the planning of the capital
city Islamabad that makes it one of the most beautiful and well-planned cities of the world.

The students also visited all the popular tourist spots such as Pakistan Monument, Faisal Mosque,
Daman-e-Koh, Rawal Lake etc.

Faculty members, Dr. Amir Aziz and Mr. Arif Hussain accompanied the students on this tour and
explained to them the planning practices used in the capital city.

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STUDENTS SPOTLIGHT

Class projects of 2013 batch

The students of 3rd year are sprightly heading towards the final year of their degree program.
Under the subject of Planning of new towns, 10 groups were formulated and each group was assigned
to plan a new town. In addition to 3D max design, students also made manual 3D models with assistance
of a lecturer of PID department. Reports were formulated too. Under the umbrella of GIS Analysis,
Peri-urban plan of different cities including Sahiwal, Mianwali, Muridke, Mian Chanu, Lodhran and
Bhakkar were prepared. Students also got an idea to design water supply system and sewerage system in
the head of subject Environmental engineering. Now the students of 2013 session are heading towards 6 th
semester. With vigor and enthusiasm, they are hopeful to become virtuous town planners in the future
ahead. We wish them best of luck!

Class projects of 2014 batch

Environmental Planning and Management

The course of Environmental Planning and Management was taught to the 14 session by the wor-
thy chairman of DCRP, Prof. Dr. Rizwan Hameed. It comprises of both theoretical and practical portions.
The final project in the practical portion titled Environmental problems from large-scale industry and
their remedies; cases of KSK (GT road) and Sheikhupura Road industrial complexes, Lahore was aimed
at whetting the mental concepts of the students regarding the interaction between town planning and the
environment.

The project, as the name suggests, included the study of various environmental problems being
generated by large scale industries located on the Shiekhupura Road and Kala Shah Kaku (GT Road) re-
gion. The students had to observe environmental threats due to these industries to the surrounding areas
in particular and the whole city in general and suggest remedial measures to reduce or prevent these
threats in the future. Visits to the case study areas were arranged for the students, who interacted with the
industrialists and residents of the area to gather information through questionnaires. The whole class was
divided into different groups and the course instructor assigned different tasks to each group. Finally,
each group had to prepare and submit a report on the project.

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STUDENTS SPOTLIGHT

Architectural Design

Architectural Design was taught by Mr. Usman Awan from Architecture Department. The course
consisted of two projects i.e. House project and Mosque Project. Each student had to submit site plans,
floor plans, elevations, sections, and axonometric plans of a house in the mid-term project and design of a
mosque in the final term project. Superb drawing skills were exhibited by the young learners for this
project.

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STUDENTS DESK
An overview of some of the problems being faced by the city of gardens

Abdul Qadir Jilani

(2014-CRP)

The city of Lahore has shown an unimaginable increase in its population and an unexpected
transgressions in its boundaries. The massive migration of people from rural areas, deficiency of facilities
and pollution have made the situation even worse and have deteriorated the beauty of a once beautiful
and serene city. Some of these problems are:

Over-population

Congestion

Encroachments

Poor traffic flow

Inadequate or inefficient public transportation system

Increase in pollution

Sewerage problems

Dirty or turbid drinking water

Indifferent attitude towards historical buildings

Urban sprawl

The population of Lahore according to the 1998 census was 6 million, which grew rapidly with the
passage of time. In July 2014, the population of the city was estimated to be 7 million. An estimate in
January 2015 gave the population of the Lahore agglomeration as 9 million. Lahore is ranked 34 th in the
list of the most populated urban areas in the world. The area of Lahore has almost doubled in the last 12
to 14 years.

There are scores of traffic problems that the Pakistani cities are facing. Lets take the example of the
province of Punjab that has a population of around 100 million and the number of registered vehicles is
around 7.5 million. As a result, Punjab has facing the worse traffic congestion problems. The private
vehicle ownership rate has been drastically increasing mainly due to inefficient public transport system
and easy car leasing opportunities.

Lahore has topped the list of most polluted cities in Pakistan with highest air pollution level of 85
micrograms per cubic meter that is three times higher than the safe standards of Pakistan Environmental
Protection Agency (Pak-EPA). Improper sanitation systems and poor solid waste management systems

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STUDENTS DESK
have severely affected the city.

Deteriorated sewerage system has also become a major problem for the citizens of Lahore.
Sewerage water gets mixed up with the water supply lines, giving birth to several deadly diseases.
Numerous cases of diarrhea are registered on daily basis and about 20-28 percent of deaths occur due to
the contaminated water. During rainy season, condition of these areas becomes worse as the rain water
and sewerage water get mixed and the sewerage system overflows. Therefore, drainage system must be
repaired and redeveloped on urgent basis to drain water properly in the rainy season.

According to WHO, groundwater of Lahore up to 700-ft depth has been seriously contaminated
and should not be used for human consumption. But still, people residing in such areas where the water
supply is pathetic and the government itself hasnt taken any initiatives regarding the purification or
filtration of water, are forced to consume this filthy water for drinking purpose as they cant afford to
buy filtered water.

Another problem faced by the Lahore city is of urban sprawl that is just increasing over the years.
Different housing schemes have started to develop due to the housing shortage but still the housing
backlog keeps growing. Most of the housing schemes are illegal and the city is growing haphazardly as
opposed to the provisions of the Master Plan.

Once renowned as a city of gardens and monuments, Lahore now manifests decaying cultural
heritage, rampant urbanization and unregulated commercialization. The monuments of Lahore, whether
great or small, suffer from negligent conservation efforts, if any at all. Among these, several old heritage
monuments are nearly obliterated. But like other sectors, no serious efforts are being carried out by the
concerned authorities and that just adds to the dilemma of poor urban management.

Students corner
Sameen Baber (2012 Session) became General Secretary of UET Literary Society. She has represented
UET at numerous writing and quiz competitions and has won accolades for DCRP.

Awais Ali Khan (2012 Session) became Leader of House in Youth Parliament Pakistan. He has been the
Joint Secretary in UET Debating Society, has represented UET in more than 50 debating competitions,
and has won accolades.

Izma Sultan (12 Session) got selected for United States Undergraduate Exchange Program and, has
recently got back to DCRP after six months of study in the St. Cloud State University, Minnesota.

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PLANNERS SCRAPBOOK

Models of new town made by 2013 session

Models of new town made by 2013 session

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WISH BOX

Kindly send us the email addresses of your respective session

fellows or the alumni of DCRP.

House is open for feedback, suggestions and recommendations.

Open House Articles are welcomed.

You can send your feedback at plannerso w n@yaho o .co m

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