News Desk
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan said Thursday that the construction work on the ambitious multi-billion-rupee Ravi Urban Development Project (RUDP) has begun and will be completed in phases.
The Prime Minister, chairing a meeting on the RUDP and Karachi Islands project, was pleased to know that the Frontier Works Organization and the National Logistics Cell had begun work on the construction of the RUDP.
The meeting also included Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz, Minister for Mari-Time Affairs Ali Zaidi and senior officials of the Pakistan Islands Development Authority and the RUDP.
At a separate meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Housing, Building and Development, the Prime Minister was informed that the banks had almost reached their quarterly goals for the disbursement of house loans.
The first meeting announced that some Chinese firms were also involved in various joint projects with local construction companies in the RUDP.
A senior RUDP official told Dawn that the project would not only provide housing and create employment, but would also restore the aquatic environment in the Ravi River, which has been almost dry for many years. Massive retaining walls will be installed on the banks of the river canal to accumulate rainwater and sewage from the town of Lahore after filtering through filtration plants.
The official said that the project would also help to restore the Lahore underground water level, which had fallen by three feet last year.
Speaking at the first meeting, the Prime Minister instructed the authorities concerned to set timelines for the completion of the RUDP project in Lahore and the Bundal and Buddo Islands in Karachi.
He emphasised the need to promote the two projects so that people will hear about their economic and climate benefits. Both projects were critical in view of the growing demand for housing, he said.
During the NCC meeting on housing, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir said that banks had almost reached their quarterly goals for home loan disbursement.
He said that more than 100 SBP officials carried out “mystery shopping” by visiting various banks on a regular basis to assess the on-the-ground situation and to monitor the facilities offered to house borrowers.
The President of the Capital Development Authority, Amir Ali Ahmed, reported that the Authority had received site plans for four out of 12 recently auctioned commercial plots in the New Blue Area commercial centre for approval. He said that the process of automating the land revenue record will be completed in one month.
The Prime Minister instructed the authorities concerned to provide facilities for construction-related industries, as it was the desperate need of the hour for the wheel of the economy to continue to spin.
Speaking of Islamabad, he said it was the only planned city in the world, but its beauty was fading, and therefore its green image should be preserved.
Prime Minister Khan also met with Housing Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema and addressed various housing projects under his ministry.
Later, the Prime Minister met with Dr. Faisal Sultan, his Special Assistant to Health, and Dr. Yasmin Rashid, the Punjab Health Minister, to ensure strict enforcement of standard operating procedures to control the second wave of coronavirus in the country.