Lahore in 2021: Civil Secretariat could be moved south of Hadyara

LDA gives briefing on how city will develop over the next 10 years.

LAHORE:

Government offices on The Mall and the Lower Mall including the Civil Secretariat could be shifted to a new commercial area south of Hadyara drain over the next 10 years, according to the Lahore Development Authority.

LDA Chief Metropolitan Planner Waseem Ahmed Khan said during a briefing to District Management Group (DMG) officers that the Lahore Master Plan for 2004-2021 envisaged the city expanding south of the Hadyara drain. He said that the LDA had already proposed three housing schemes in this region, including the 45,000-kanal LDA City, to be built near Kahna Nau on Ferozepur Road. The LDA has also approved 24 private housing schemes in the area, he said.

To ease the pressure on the existing ‘central business district’ (CBD), the Master Plan proposes two new commercial centres, at Johar Town and south of Hadyara. The CBD in Johar Town is to be developed in a 1,400-kanal area. This would include corporate offices, the IT Tower, a superstore on 90 kanals, a five star hotel on 114 kanals, a bank square on 69 kanals, a health club on 27 kanals, a hospital on 25 kanals, a mosque on five kanals, a recreation area on 75 kanals, a mini-golf club on 32 kanals, and a park and lake on 42 kanals. About 40 kanals have been reserved for multi-storey apartment buildings and 388 kanals for roads. Infrastructure development in the area has begun and the super store plot has been auctioned for over Rs1 billion, Khan told the 40 probationary officers in connection with a specialised training programme.

The chief metropolitan planner said that the CBD south of Hadyara drain would be located over 200 hectares on both sides of the railway track. He said areas have been earmarked near the proposed CBD for government offices including the Civil Secretariat because of the massive traffic problems at the current locations of the offices.

He said that the Master Plan proposed the setting up of satellite towns outside a 75-km radius or 90 minutes driving distance from the city centre, in order to curb migration to the city and the pressure on infrastructure.

Master plans should be prepared for these towns so they have all the necessary facilities as well as job opportunities. The Master Plan names Shiekhupura, Sharaqpur, Muridke, Raiwind, Bhai Pheru, Pattoki and Kasur as potential satellite cities, he said.

Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) Director (Engineering) Khalid Alvi briefed the officers about the city’s transport infrastructure and the road projects the agency is currently working on.

The major projects include the remodelling of Model Town Link Road from Maulana Shaukat Ali Road to Pace at a cost of Rs168.062 million; rehabilitation of Maulana Shabbir Usmani Road from the Y junction at New Garden Town to the Faisal Town Roundabout at a cost of Rs155.707 million; and remodelling of Main Boulevard, Garden Town from Kalma Chowk to the New Campus Canal Crossing at a cost of Rs302.689 million.

Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Director (Planning) Abdul Qadeer Chaudhry said that the agency had prepared a six-year business plan with help from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Urban Unit to make Wasa financially sustainable.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2012.