LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that the government would argue in the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to nullify the Ravi Urban Development Project.
The premier visited the site of the project earlier today as part of a one-day trip to Lahore. Speaking to journalists, PM Imran said this time, the case would be presented in a better manner to apprise the Honourable Court about the significance of the project in view of urban development and civic facilities.
The prime minister said there was a misconception about the Ravi Urban project that it was a housing society. “It will be a modern city which will be constructed at par with Dubai and Malaysia and will expand vertically,” he added.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI, while visiting Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) project site earlier today: pic.twitter.com/101hjlukOq
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) January 28, 2022
PM Imran said that the objective of the project was to curb the expansion of Lahore. “If Lahore continues to expand, then the water table will continue to recede,” he said, adding that solid waste disposal would also become a challenge.
He said that prior to the PTI, no other political party had ever focused on the environment. The premier added that a whole “jungle” would be grown alongside the project. “A planned jungle is being grown which will keep the environment clean,” he added.
“Similarly, barrages would be built in an effort to replenish the water table while treatment plants would also be made to dump clean water back into River Ravi,” he pointed out, adding, that the initiative, which cost Rs20bn, would also attract foreign investment and contribute to wealth creation.
The premier’s statement comes days after the high court scrapped the project by declaring several provisions of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) Act 2020 unconstitutional.
Earlier this week, Justice Shahid Karim of the LHC had announced a reserved judgement on multiple petitions. He had also declared the acquisition of agricultural land for the project unconstitutional and in violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.
