In Pakistan government has launched a Project plan to build a new smart city on the banks of the Ravi River near Lahore in the Punjab province.
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| Ravi River Front: Is the future of the new city on the banks of the Ravi in Lahore in jeopardy? |
Proposed models and images of the project offer a view of tall buildings & residential areas built on lush green & small islands resembling modern cities in the developed world.
Under the Ravi River Front project the 120,000-acre city will have forests lakes barrages & islands along with modern housing.
It includes sub-projects such as Education City, Sports City and Medical City as well as regular planned cities.
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According to the Ravi Urban Development Authority RODA which is responsible for completing the project, once completed it will be the world largest riverbank city spread over an area of 46 km. ۔
According to Road project will enable the restoration of natural environment as well as groundwater reserves & the three barrages to be built will store 585,000 cusecs of water.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan had said at the inauguration of the project in September 2020 that the project has the potential to change the destiny of Pakistan.
According to him project will not only bring foreign investment in the country but will also provide employment to millions of people. However a recent decision of the Lahore High Court has raised questions about the future of the Ravi River Front project.
The court in its judgment declared unconstitutional only a few basic provisions of the law under which Roda came into being.
How did this Ravi River Front Project plan reach the court?
The problem started with the acquisition of land. A large portion of the land required for the Ravi River Front is agricultural land. Roda started the process of acquiring the land from farmers in 2020 but some affected farmers protested against Pakistan government move.
He also said that he did not want to sell his agricultural land or give it to the government & government was trying to get this land from him by force.
He feared that taking away agricultural land would deprive him of his livelihood and that the compensation he was being paid in return was not enough to meet his future needs.
Farmers and a number of environmental activists had approached the court after initial protests failed.
The court also barred Roda from acquiring more land in a restraining order earlier this year.
How much land has been acquired for Ravi River Front Project?
Rhoda spokesman Sher Afzal Butt told the BBC that 4560 acres of land had been acquired so far for about Rs 4 billion.
It also includes the first part of the 2,000-acre Sapphire project, which has-been awarded a contract for construction work to the Javanese group.
He said that Jawadan Group includes well-known construction companies of the country. A recent message issued by Hassan Khawar spokesman for the Punjab government and Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister for Information, stated that construction work was underway on the first zone Chahar Bagh.
1st phase will cover 15,000 acres & includes Sapphire Bay, Agri Knowledge Emerald Bay Topaz Block, Barrages and Lak he said.
He said that this Ravi River Front Project will also recharge the river Ravi.
It may be recalled that according to the Punjab government Ravi River Front project is to be completed in three phases. According to Rhoda the 1st phase will cover about 44,000 acres the second phase about 28,000 acres & 3rd phase 30,000 acres.
The court also declared the process of acquiring land required for project illegal and quashed the notifications issued in this regard. The court also declared the scheme and the schemes under it illegal.
The Punjab government has indicated that it will approach Supreme Court against the decision. At the same time they claim that work on the first zone of the project is in full swing. Will be able
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Where does the plan actually stand after the court decision?
A recent statement by Punjab Chief Minister Adviser on Information Hassan Khawar said that the government respects and implements court decisions & will continue its work in the light of court decisions. After this decision Rhoda will have to start the process of acquiring land anew. Before that the government will have to make the necessary legislation.
A lawyer involved in the case, speaking on condition of anonymity told the British news that this meant that Roda would have to reclaim land it had already acquired under new compensation.
Procedure for obtaining this compensation &the land will be decided by the legal framework which the court has ordered.
He said it would take time for the government to do all this work. Even if the government manages to do so according to experts budget allocated for land acquisition for Ravi River Front is likely to increase by at least 20 to 30 percent.
Before that Rhoda will have to do all this work in consultation & agreement with the local government after which they will be able to formulate an independent master plan which is a long process.
Otherwise Rhoda and the Punjab government will have no choice but to file an appeal in Supreme Court.
According to experts if the Supreme Court does not grant relief to Rhoda or the Punjab government then the necessary changes in the light of litigation & subsequent court orders may take so long that the present government is nearing end of its term. Will
He has 1 year & a few months left. future of the Ravi River Front project to be built along Ravi River will then be decided by the next government.
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