The insights, pros, and cons of the new Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project

The PTI government is known for planning out of the box. Prime Minister Imran Khan has always tried to convey that Pakistan is capable of wonders and, he has made astounding commitments for several projects in this regard. One of such projects is Ravi Urban Development Authority. This mega project aims to construct a modern city around the River Ravi. Imran Khan himself visited the site for launching this futuristic project and delivered a speech declaring it a savior for Lahore and Ravi.

 This is not a housing society or scheme; it is a project to construct a complex city. This Rs. 5 trillion project plans to cover around 100,000 acres of land accommodating almost 35 million people. The government also aims to plant 6 million trees at Ravi city, which is one of the main highlights of the project. It is expected to be completed within 10 to 15 years.

Background:

The idea to build a complete city on the bank of Ravi was first proposed in 1947, discussions on it started in 2013 but, it has been recently given a structural plan. The government has taken inspiration from several planned cities while devising the project.

Purpose To build a planned city:

This modern city built according to international standards will be serving many purposes at once;

• The population of Lahore is above 10 million and has been increasing rapidly. To shift the demographic burden, a new city right next to Lahore can help reduce unplanned urbanization.
• RUDA plans to revive Ravi as a freshwater river instead of a sewerage dump.
• Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world. To remove this infamous title, Imran Khan has announced to plant more or less 6 million trees along with the formation of a forest in this new city.
• The government is foreseeing that this project will bring a lot of foreign exchange and will create many employment opportunities.
• The project has been predicted to fuel up around 40 industries by the Prime Minister himself.

Advantages:

• The new city will be the “World’s Largest Riverfront City” built on international standards and will catch an enormous amount of global attraction.
• It has opened doors for local and foreign investment and it has already gathered the attraction of US $8 billion foreign investment.
• The plantation of trees will be generating a green, clean, and environment-friendly atmosphere around the surrounding areas. This will help in reducing pollution and improving the quality of breathing air.
• Ravi is dry during most of the year and whenever it has water it gets contaminated with sewerage water. If the project gets successful, Ravi is going to be filled with rainwater and treated sewerage water making it a freshwater river.
• The Chief Executive officer of RUDA while addressing to media stated that the generation of electricity from waste material in the new city.
• RUDA is planning to provide an uplifted and sustainable lifestyle to the residents.

Facilities:

As per the details revealed;

• The city will be divided into 12 sectors including; medical city, innovation city, government city, knowledge city, sports city, tourism city, commercial city, downtown.
• A forest and a lake will be constructed
• Barrages and water treatment plants will be built
• 1.4 million residential units are planned in the new modern city
• It will also contain green belts and elevated paths for pedestrians

Criticism:

• Many are considering the acquiring of land for the Ravi project an act of land grab as the government is obtaining the agricultural land of many landowners and farmers with very little compensation in exchange for their earning source.
• Experts say that the new city may be imitating the issues of other big cities surrounding it like unequal distribution of facilities and opportunities.
• Critics worry that this new city will become another elite hub and will not benefit the lower class in any way.
• Environmentalists have also shown concerns regarding the water treatment plant and said that treating discharge water from only one area would not change much.
• Many say that the PTI government is building castles in the air once again and will not be able to implement the idea correctly.
• The Lahore High Court declared this project illegal it didn’t have a master plan. It is also said to violate the 1894 Act by not following the legal framework of acquiring land. Imran Khan defended RUDA in the High Court conveying that this project will be a thorough success in all the sectors. On 31^st December 2022, Supreme Court heard the case and permitted the Punjab Government to work on RUDA.

Final Verdict: A planned, riverfront city is indeed a futuristic plan that seems to be quite promising. Although it has many loopholes, if this idea becomes successful it will resolve many of the major economical, industrial and environmental issues of Pakistan. No doubt the new modern city idea has the potential to grab global eyeballs as well as a foreign investment at a large scale. It has also promised to create multiple job opportunities which is one of the major plus points related to the project. Time will tell if the project gives birth to an upscale modern city or a flop show.