Lahore to be again made ‘city of gardens’: CM

[Naveed Yaseen]

PUNJAB Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has said that Lahore will again be made a “City of Gardens” in order to provide better environment as well as recreational facilities to its residents. He said a comprehensive strategy had been evolved to spend Rs480 million for to provide recreational facilities in the parks of the city.

He stated this during a briefing given by Task Force on Horticulture Chairman Mustafa Kamal regarding beautification of the provincial metropolis at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Tuesday.

Shahbaz said the historical and cultural heritage of the city would be restored for promoting tourism, adding that the Punjab Garden Project was approved to improve all the parks and tourists’ spots of the province. He said the approval of the Lahore Tree Project to import 25,000 trees, with the cooperation of private sector, was approved to give the city a green look.

The chief minister said revolutionary measures were being taken to beautify the city and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) was being activated for this purpose. He directed the officials concerned to evolve short and long term strategies for this purpose and also present a six-month comprehensive plan regarding future projects of the beautification of the city.

He said the project of setting up of a company, comprising gardeners of the PHA, should also be considered and they should be included in different projects of beautification of the city but it should be ensured that none of them should be jobless. He also directed them to outsource major projects, saying that all major banks and other organisations be given the responsibility of establishing and looking after the parks as the same was already being carried out by various banks as well as organisations.

The chief minister said that pavilions were constructed in the cricket grounds for promoting sports during his last tenure and 14 more such pavilions were being constructed where various sports facilities would be available. He approved various administrative affairs, including a proposal of the Task Force chairman to set up an urban horticulture institute, which would further enhance the performance of the PHA, besides ensuring transparency in its affairs. He directed the officials concerned to review the Chairlift System Project near the Ravi and said that development of parks on available lands in the city should also be considered.

Shahbaz asked the C&W secretary to receive compensation from the contractor concerned for the damage caused to the Ravi Park during the construction of the Ring Road and directed that the amount of security should not be paid to the contractor without payment of compensation. The C&W secretary was directed to take prompt action in this regard. He directed the Solid Waste Management MD to give recommendations regarding cleanliness of the city, saying that the citizens were not only facing various problems due to heaps of garbage but diseases were also breaking out. He issued direction for the review of the widening and beautification of the Lahore Canal.

Earlier, Task Force Chairman Mustafa Kamal briefed the meeting that presently, there were 856 parks, green belts and sports grounds in the city, out of which only eight were in a good condition while the condition of 442 was deplorable. He said the first phase of beautification of the city would be started from Nov 15 and completed by March 2009, adding that the new projects in the regard would include the Ravi Park, the Jallo Botanical Park, the Expo Centre, Johar Town, the Green House, the Lahore-Kasur Road and the Canal Bank Road Landscape. He said souvenir shops would also be set up in the parks of the city. Besides, he presented various suggestions for the improvement of the PHA’s performance.

MNAs Mian Marghoob Ahmad and Malik Riaz Ahmad, MPAs Mehar Ishtiaq, Naveed Anjum, Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Task Force chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hasaan, the chief secretary, the Housing secretary, the Forests secretary, the PHA DG, the LDA DG, the Lahore DCO, the Wasa MD and other officers were also present.

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