Land being arranged for Ravi River project

Areas to be acquired for first phase of new city notified

LAHORE:

The government has geared up efforts to get foreign investment to meet the estimated cost of Rs2,500 billion and acquire land for implementing the plan to build a new city on the banks of Ravi river.

As the government lacks the funds required for the massive project, it is making efforts to attract foreign investment. No agreement has been signed with an investor so far, but officials are hopeful of $5 billion investment.

Ravi River Project spokesperson SM Imran told The Express Tribune that there were offers of investment from China, the United Kingdom and Arab countries for the plan.

He said preparations were underway to build the new city along the river. Efforts are being made to protect the industries for saving their employees. Along with land acquisition, work is also underway to obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) regarding environmental protection and investment, he added.

According to officials concerned, about 102,000 acres of land is needed to build the new city on the banks of River Ravi. The project is divided into three phases.

Phase-I is the largest part, requiring over 4.4 million acres. The rest of the land is needed for the second and third phases.

Under the project, the new city will have all the modern facilities. There are plans to build highways, hospitals, schools, hotels, restaurants, parks, offices, lakes, commercial centres and residential areas, while boats will ferry in a lake.

As many as six million trees will be planted to beautify the new city. The project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The process of land acquisition for the project is underway. Initially, notification of section four of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 was issued for 102,000 acres so that the land could not be sold and purchased.

The gazette notification has now been issued of imposition of section five of the law for acquisition of lake and canal channel lands included in Pahse-I.

The notification is applicable on 39,623 kanals of land for the lake and canal channel. Section five has been implemented on 36,661 kanals of Sheikhupura and 2,562 kanals in Lahore. The land to be acquired includes Moza Bhaman’s 300 kanals, Targarh's 300 kanals, Jaya Musa seven Kanal, Harnarainpura 117 kanals, Shahdara 37 kanals, Kroll War 573 kanals and Hardo Jabo 1,226 kanals.

The objections of the people affected by the acquisition will be heard within a month of the notification by the land acquisition collector of River Ravi Authority. The official will send a final report on the objections to the Punjab government.

A price will be set in the light of the objections. After approval of the acquisition under section five by Punjab government, the final notification will be issued.

The amount to be paid for the land will be transferred to the finance department.

The collector will issue the notification of land acquisition award, paving the way for payment of compensation after taking the possession of the required land. The construction work would begin after this stage.

Earlier, some residents and landowners of the area expressed fear of getting low prices for their land. The project is estimated to cost about Rs1,100 billion in Phase-I, Rs600 billion in Phase-II and Rs700 billion in Phase-III.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2021.