CM nudges expressway project

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has approved in principle the Lahore Elevated Expressway Project.

He was presiding over a meeting in which it was decided that that the expressway project from Gulberg to Babu Sabu should be launched as soon as possible. The chief minister also approved a proposal to run electric buses in the city.

He said on the occasion that the construction of elevated expressway would change the landscape of Lahore within a few months.

He ordered consideration of the prospects of constructing commercial centres along the expressway.

The CM was informed during a briefing that the expenditure on construction of both sides of the expressway comprising four lanes would be Rs85 billion. The first expressway will be constructed from east to west in the city.

After the completion of the project, the distance from Gulberg to the motorway will be travelled in eight minutes. The construction will save 20km journey and 30 minutes of travel time.

The elevated expressway will be linked with 12 main roads, including The Mall road and Multan Road.

The chief minister was informed that access to the city’s big hospitals, including the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, would be easier through the expressway. Students will be provided transport facility to reach their educational institutions, including the Lahore College and Kinnaird College.

More than 80,000 vehicle owners will benefit from the construction of the elevated expressway.

Former federal minister Moonis Elahi, Punjab Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, the CM’s Principal Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, the chairman of the planning and development board, provincial secretaries, the Lahore Development Authority director general and other officials concerned attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi felicitated 381 rescuers from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over passing out from the Emergency Services Academy. He stated in a message that Punjab had been performing the role of an elder brother for other provinces.

He said he was pleased that the academy was training the rescuers of all the provinces to cope up with accidents. The rescuers of K-P and Gilgit-Baltistan had played an important role in saving many lives after training from the academy.

The CM congratulated 107 rescuers for completing the training along with launching an emergency service in Sindh. He said he was convinced that the trained rescuers would become a symbol of a sense of protection in Sindh like Punjab.

He underscored that the Punjab government was readily available to provide assistance to all the provinces through the Emergency Services Academy.

He said the rescue academy was providing training and technical assistance to other countries as well.

The chief minister said the Rescue 1122 personnel were heroes of the nation as they had helped the people in every difficult time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2022.