PM pins hope on SC for Ravi riverfront revival

Imran says case to be presented in a better manner in apex court

SHEIKHUPURA:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday reasserted his push to salvage the Ravi Urban Development Project after the Lahore High Court (LHC) nullified the multibillion-dollar project, saying the government would now invoke the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

“The case would be presented in a better manner to bring to the court’s attention the scheme’s significance in view of urban development and civic facilities,” the premier said while speaking to media during his visit to Rakh Jhok forest.

The prime minister dispelled the “misconception” that the project was a housing society, emphasising that the grand project aimed at correcting the “faults in the wake of unplanned construction of the city”.

While emphasising that he respected the judiciary, he said the government did not effectively plead its case in front of the LHC. "We will plead our case in front of the Supreme Court."

The Lahore High Court earlier this week had declared the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) illegal.

The court gave the ruling on a set of petitions challenging the land acquisition for the project and violations of environmental laws by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), the executing body.

Speaking about it on Friday, PM Imran highlighted the salient features of the project, including plantation of twenty million trees as part of forestation, construction of barrages to up water table and filtration of sewerage.

Giving grounds for the ambitious $Rs20bn project, the premier explained that the riverfront project would yield employment opportunities and encourage foreign investment, adding that an amount of Rs1.5 billion had been already received in this regard.

The wealth creation would in turn help run 40 affiliated industries, he added.

"If Lahore continues to expand, then the water table will continue to recede," he said, adding that River Ravi was shrinking and will soon become a sewerage drain.

"Unplanned housing societies are being constructed [...] they have no concept of a sewerage system or water treatment plants," he lamented.

The premier cautioned that unplanned urban development in Lahore would lead to the same repercussions in near future as the ones plaguing Sindh’s metropolis, Karachi.

He regretted that the Sindh government did not allow construction at Bundal Island which was also a megaproject in line with the planned development of cities.

‘All possible steps to attract investors’

Meanwhile, the prime minister also chaired a review meeting on the progress of special economic zones in the country and directed the relevant officials to ensure a business-friendly environment for the investors.

During the meeting, he said the government was taking all possible steps to attract investors towards industrial manufacturing in the country.

Read: "LHC declares Ravi riverfront project ‘unconstitutional’"

He said Punjab was a very attractive province for foreign investors, especially for Chinese investors who were desirous of shifting their industrial units to Pakistan.

These measures included the provision of land on easy instalments to decrease the cost of initial investment of businessmen and availability of plug and play model for early start of their business operations.

The prime minister stressed that effective rules and regulations should be formed to discourage conversion of the industrial estate into real estate ventures, adding that when the investor would have to pay a heavy cost for acquiring land to start a business project, it would make the investment not attractive and he would abandon the decision to make the investment.

Additionally, the prime minister also met with Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja.

During the meeting, matters pertaining to legislation in the province came under discussion. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar was also present at the meeting.

(With Input from APP)