New industrial cities to be set up to meet future needs of CPEC
Study conducted for an industrial city along Motorway M-2
Study conducted for an industrial city along Motorway M-2. PHOTO: REUTERS
FAISALABAD:
New industrial cities would be set up in close collaboration with the private sector and in line with future needs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said New Economic City of Punjab Urban Unit Project Manager Ali Agha.
Speaking to Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) members, he said the Punjab government was keen to incorporate inputs of the local industrial and business community to make the economic city fully operational as soon as possible.
Five CPEC projects face the axe
He said he had visited Faisalabad earlier for a pre-feasibility study of the proposed economic city to be set up along Motorway M-2, but clarified that the site selection was not final and the job was entrusted to a foreign consultant.
“During the study, once again Lillah site is on top of the list, which also helps us decide the ranking of other proposed sites,” he said.
Agha said he was also going to propose a CPEC University and CPEC Television in addition to water supply through the Indus River, which would be 10 times cheaper compared to other modes of water transportation.
Frost and Sullivan’s Samita Khawar explained the salient features and aims and objectives of the study and said it consisted of three parts - whether the market had the capacity to set up a new city, selection of site for the city and its implementation.
“In future, new viable and sustained cities could be developed by linking the industry with urban development,” she said, adding after Islamabad, no new planned city was set up in Pakistan, which necessitated the development of a new city.
ADB to invest in CPEC, Gwadar city projects
Urban Unit Senior Planning Specialist Nadeem Khurshid said the setting up of the new city did not mean that the government was ignoring the existing ones. “The government is fully concentrating on them and plans to develop new cities to cater to our future needs.”
In that regard, he said, he played his role in the master planning of Faisalabad under the World Bank and during the last two years, investment worth Rs40 billion had been made only in Faisalabad.
He also termed government’s decision to declare five industrial estates including the M-3 Industrial City as special economic zones “a big step towards rapid industrialisation in the country.”
“The government is also planning to set up water treatment plants in all the industrial estates that currently lack the facility,” he said.
Khurshid said plans to organise road shows in China and Turkey, in addition to holding awareness seminars in various parts of the city, were under way to involve the business community in the planning of new economic cities.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2016.
New industrial cities would be set up in close collaboration with the private sector and in line with future needs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said New Economic City of Punjab Urban Unit Project Manager Ali Agha.
Speaking to Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) members, he said the Punjab government was keen to incorporate inputs of the local industrial and business community to make the economic city fully operational as soon as possible.
Five CPEC projects face the axe
He said he had visited Faisalabad earlier for a pre-feasibility study of the proposed economic city to be set up along Motorway M-2, but clarified that the site selection was not final and the job was entrusted to a foreign consultant.
“During the study, once again Lillah site is on top of the list, which also helps us decide the ranking of other proposed sites,” he said.
Agha said he was also going to propose a CPEC University and CPEC Television in addition to water supply through the Indus River, which would be 10 times cheaper compared to other modes of water transportation.
Frost and Sullivan’s Samita Khawar explained the salient features and aims and objectives of the study and said it consisted of three parts - whether the market had the capacity to set up a new city, selection of site for the city and its implementation.
“In future, new viable and sustained cities could be developed by linking the industry with urban development,” she said, adding after Islamabad, no new planned city was set up in Pakistan, which necessitated the development of a new city.
ADB to invest in CPEC, Gwadar city projects
Urban Unit Senior Planning Specialist Nadeem Khurshid said the setting up of the new city did not mean that the government was ignoring the existing ones. “The government is fully concentrating on them and plans to develop new cities to cater to our future needs.”
In that regard, he said, he played his role in the master planning of Faisalabad under the World Bank and during the last two years, investment worth Rs40 billion had been made only in Faisalabad.
He also termed government’s decision to declare five industrial estates including the M-3 Industrial City as special economic zones “a big step towards rapid industrialisation in the country.”
“The government is also planning to set up water treatment plants in all the industrial estates that currently lack the facility,” he said.
Khurshid said plans to organise road shows in China and Turkey, in addition to holding awareness seminars in various parts of the city, were under way to involve the business community in the planning of new economic cities.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2016.