CM Usman Buzdar announces mega uplift projects for Lahore

LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced mega projects worth billions of rupees for the Lahore City development and said that Lahore would be given its due right.

Usman Buzdar said that a state-of-the-art 1,000 beds general hospital would be established on 124-kanal land of LDA along Ferozepur Road near Arfa Karim Technology Tower at a cost of Rs9 billion.

This hospital will have a capacity of 400 beds in the general ward, 400 beds in cardiology and 200 beds in blood diseases wards. The health department summary had been approved in this regard, he said adding Mother & Child Care hospital was being completed in Ganga Ram hospital at a cost of Rs4 billion; Children’s Hospital has been awarded status of University of Child Health Sciences and an amount of Rs4 billion has been allocated for this university.

He said radiology department had been established in Services Hospital at a cost of Rs2.5 billion. This radiology department has 225-beds as well. He said that no new hospital was constructed in Lahore after Jinnah Hospital.

Addressing a ceremony held in connection with announcing mega uplift projects here Friday, he disclosed that flyover would be constructed at Shahkam Chowk and Karim Block Market Chowk.

These two projects will cost approximately Rs6 billion; an underpass will be constructed on Ferozepur Road near Gulab Devi Hospital at a cost Rs1 billion, he said adding an overhead bridge starting from Railway Station to Sheranwala Gate would be constructed at a cost of Rs4.5 billion that would solve traffic problem.

Permission has been given to construct high-rise buildings in City. He stated that in the first phase, 4,000 apartments would be constructed in LDA City for the low-income segment. He said the government was planning to launch project of constructing more than 35,000 apartments over an 8,000 kanal of land.

LDA flats will be given to the low-income segment on easy terms. The installment of these flats will be Rs15,000 per month to be payable in 20 years’ time period. He said a new city at river bank of Ravi would be set up on the pattern of Dubai.

This project will raise the water level in the city besides ensuring investment of billions of rupees. A plan has been chalked out to establish Financial Centre near Walton; a mega water drainage project with the cooperation of Asian Development Bank has been started in the city at a cost of Rs19 billion.

The completion of this project will ensure that no rainwater will remain stagnant on roads. It may deprive someone of photo-shoot in rainwater with log shoes. He said that 10 underground water tanks would be constructed to restore the rainwater at a sum of Rs2.8 billion.

He said that underground water tank in Bagh-e-Jinnah had ensured the drainage of rainwater within a few minutes in monsoon season. Modern and international standard bus terminal will be constructed at Thokar Niaz Beg over 100 kanal of land at a cost of Rs3 billion. In the first phase, pollution-free 50 electric buses will be plied on different routes. He said that the Punjab government and WCLA with the cooperation of Agha Khan Culture Services are restoring the Shahi Fort in its original condition.