Lahore: Special Assistant to CM Punjab on information said on Sunday that the development work on the first zone of the 46 Km Ravi River Project has been started. He said that the wide stretch of development on either side of the Ravi River is a fulfillment of the vision and dreams of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He added that the ongoing project alongside the Ravi River would help the government in reducing civic issues besides raising the water levels. He said, “This futuristic project will help the government in containing chaotic urban sprawl, raising depleting water resources and rehabilitating the Ravi River”.
Earlier the Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had ordered the authorities concerned to speed up work on the said project so that the issues faced by the city like traffic congestion, overpopulation, and water scarcity could be addressed at the earliest. The special assistant told that the first phase namely Chabhar covers an area of 1500 acres includes Sapphire, Agri, Knowledge, barrage, lake, and Emerald Bay. Mr. Khawer further added that the mega project would attract huge foreign investment in the country. He further continued that the project would recharge the River Ravi and work on housing and construction would also create thousands of jobs besides boosting economic activities in the city.
The Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project is the first planned city initiative of the incumbent government after Islamabad. Span over an area of about 100,000 acres of land along the Ravi River, the Project is based on the latest housing and developments as seen in UAE and Dubai. An official of the Ravi Urban Development Authority said, “The Ravi City will be scattered over an area of 100,000 acres and its buildings will be architectural masterpieces to the world,” The official said that everybody should play their part for the successful execution of the project as the project is likely to be a game-changer in the province. He said that the mega-development project would also create thousands of jobs in which locals would be preferred. The official also added that this mega development project was the need of the time owing to the multiple civic problems in Lahore.
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The official of the RUDA further added that the master plan of Lahore was never revised in the past so there surged up a dire need to establish a well-planned city in the surroundings of Lahore to mitigate the worries and woes arising out of the congestion civic issues in the provincial capital. He added, “With a length of 46-kilometer and a width of 3,280 feet, surrounded by a 33-foot high wall, the Ravi City will prove to be a gift for the people of Lahore,” he continued, “Three barrages will be built to attain water level for the riverfront; the development of a lake will purge the Ravi of domestic and industrial waste, and it will provide 271 billion liters of water. Water treatment plants will help treat 2.4 million liters of water that will irrigate 75,000 acres of land,” the official concluded.
