ISLAMABAD: According to the Buzdar government, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s flagship Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) was actually the brainchild of former PM Nawaz Sharif.
The Buzdar government had told the LHC that the project was conceptualised in 2013. The project was conceived in 2013 and was made part of the Amended Master Plan of Lahore Division in the year 2016.
The LHC judgment, that had cancelled the project, which was later stayed by the apex court, contains the minutes of the meetings chaired by Nawaz Sharif. As per the information provided to the court by the Buzdar government, the then prime minister held a meeting at the PM camp office Raiwind on June 22, 2013, to review progress on the realignment of the southern loop of the Lahore Ring Road (LRR) and the development of Lake View City along the river Ravi.
After the briefings, the prime minister shared his vision for the development of Lahore with the participants and emphasised that the development of these components had to be thought of as part of an integrated regional development plan to transform the direction and type of city growth.
“The project which is now the subject of challenge in these petitions on various grounds was firstly conceived by LDA in its meeting held on 02.07.2013. The discussion which took place in the meeting of the Authority related to Lake View City near River Ravi in the north of Lahore. The entire case put up by the Authority will have to be reproduced to understand the precise nature of the project and the decision taken on it by the Authority,” the judgment read.
The LHC was informed by the PTI government that the then prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) observed that the growth of the city had taken a southwest trend due to the acceptance of the Ravi as a natural barrier to the city. He said that modern cities such as London had engineered rivers to become a natural feature of the city and had unleashed the immense potential of adjacent areas to drive the cities forward economically. He said that in a similar fashion, he expected Lahore to use this natural river to its advantage and develop the area on both riverbanks by containing the Ravi in a channel. He said that developing lakes on the river would add numerous entertainment options for the city, including water-based recreation. He further said that the development of the river would beautify the city, create prime waterfront property and open access to cheaper land across the river for settlement.
“The prime minister further observed that the Lahore Ring Road, Ravi River development (including Lake View City), Walled City Project and the restoration of heritage sites, such as the tombs of Noor Jahan and Jehangir, were part of an integrated project to drive the city forward and required broad thinking. He said that the immense economic potential of the city would be enough to fund this entire development if creative financing techniques were used to leverage land assets. He said that the success of this project would provide a blueprint for replication in other cities such as Multan, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad.”
The LDA entrusted the task of selecting the consultant to the urban unit, being a government owned company, and decided to request the Government of Punjab to contribute to the funding of the study. The next meeting in this regard was convened on September 12, 2013. Further on, in the meeting of the authority held on July 14, 2016, an amendment in the Master Plan of Lahore Division (Integration of Existing Urban Development Plans and Remaining Areas) was considered and made.
The LHC observed that it is evident from the record that a meeting was presided by the prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) to review the progress on alignment on the southern loop of the Lahore Ring Road and the development of Lake View City along the River Ravi. “It seems that broadly the project was described as Lahore Ring Road, Ravi River Development which included Lake View City and was to be part of an integrated project to drive the city forward. The authority was informed that LDA had already identified the project measuring 17,000 acres by the name of Lake View City, Lahore which in the opinion of the LDA would reduce the burden of existing infrastructure and meet the demand of providing recreational facilities in Lahore.
It was also noted in the meeting that financially, the LDA was not in a position to launch the project and would require a feasible study by a reputed firm so that international/ local funding could be utilised to meet the exigencies of the mega project.” During the same PMLN government, Messrs. Meinhardt was appointed as a technical consultant for the project for consultancy work.
