Prime Minister Iman Khan has launched a $3bn “Mega Ravi Urban Development Project”, terming it vital to save the historical city of Lahore from environmental challenges caused by unplanned settlements, besides an aim to earn revenue to pay back the country’s loans and create millions of jobs.
“This project is meant to revive the lost glory of Lahore, a city struggling to cope with the problems of pollution, sewerage and water shortage,” he said while addressing the inaugural ceremony.
Earlier, the prime minister tweeted that the “Ravi City” project will also bring in foreign exchange through overseas Pakistani investment in the project.
He said it will create millions of jobs, as 40 industries are connected to housing and construction, and create wealth, enabling the country to pay off the national debt.
Khan reiterated: “Today I felt great excitement in (performing) the stone-laying of Ravi City, one of the biggest mega projects we have launched in our history.
“This will save Lahore by stopping spread of unplanned urban sprawl, raise the water table, and revive River Ravi, preventing it from becoming a sewerage drain.”
The prime minister said that the project will develop the dying River Ravi into a perennial freshwater body, with high-quality waterfront urban development.
The modern city will have all facilities for its residents, besides a forest area to be planted with 6mn trees, he added.
Khan told those in attendance that work is also underway on the “Naya Pakistan Housing Project”, and that Pakistan was at a tipping point in terms of employment creation and development.
The premier said the project would be the second largest planned city in Pakistan after Islamabad.
Khan regretted that the River Ravi that once traversed the city, eventually became little more than a sewerage drain over the years.
The prime minister lamented that Lahore witnessed the deterioration in all civic services due to irregular expansion of the city over the past decades.
Khan said that the city is lagging behind modern cities in terms of civic services, including waste disposal, clean drinking water, electricity and gas, and communication.
He pointed out that city residents are suffering from serious breathing problems as the pollution in Lahore had risen to an alarming level, also obstructing sunlight during winter time.
The prime minister said that he hopes the new project would restore the water table of Lahore that had dropped by 800 feet in the last 15 years.
He said clean water would be provided in the Ravi River through the construction of barrages and sewerage treatment plants along the river.
Giving more details of the project, the prime minister said that the new city would have high-rise buildings to optimally utilise land space.
It would be completed with the collaboration of private investors, he said.
Khan invited overseas Pakistanis to benefit from the grand opportunity by investing in the project.
“The people might invest in the construction sector till December 31, 2020, as Pakistan has been given relaxation on international obligations regarding the documentation of the informal economy,” he said.
The prime minister said that the project would provide employment besides generating economic activity, as the construction sector was linked with 40 other industries.
“It would also lead to wealth creation and help in poverty alleviation, besides providing more resources for health, education and debt servicing,” he said.
Khan has termed the “Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project” as one of the mega projects in the country’s history.
Prime Minister Khan: terms the ‘Ravi Project’ as one of the mega projects in the country’s history.
