LAHORE, Dec 22: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to construct 10 more park and ride plazas in the city within a year.
Work on one such plaza each at New Anarkali and Barkat Market be started within 20 days while another one be built along The Mall, said the chief minister after inaugurating the Park and Ride Plaza at Gulberg’s Main Boulevard on Wednesday.
Sharif said five out of the 80 shops at the Liberty Park and Ride Plaza had been reserved for poor and destitute families and a mechanism would be evolved in this regard.
He said cricket grounds would also be built soon on vacant plots in the provincial metropolis, and a plan for the purpose would be presented to him within three weeks.
Calling the plaza a masterpiece in terms of its design and facilities, the chief minister said it could be an example for other cities of the country. “It is the first of its kind in the country and is equipped with facilities of international standards. It is the beginning of a new era of development in Pakistan, Punjab and Lahore,” said the chief minister.
The Punjab government had been paying special attention towards improvement of quality infrastructure as it played a vital role in rapid development of the country, he added.
“Savings of the poor were ruthlessly looted in the name of development projects during the previous regime. The Lahore-Kasur and Ring Road projects were based on dishonesty and the dishonest people fled the country after looting the national wealth in the name of these projects. We have transformed these projects worth billions of rupees into public welfare projects for the benefit of the masses. The Lahore Ring Road was presenting a picture of ruins but today best infrastructure of the world is present there,” he said.
The LDA was a dead horse which had been converted into a vibrant institution by its director-general Omer Rasul. The LDA had ensured high quality construction of Liberty Park and Ride Plaza, he said while congratulating Omar Rasul, consultant Ahmad Mukhtar and contractor Wasim Khan on the execution of the project.
Earlier, Rasul spoke about salient features of the plaza. He said the 11-floor plaza had a capacity for parking 308 vehicles. He said some 80 shops had been constructed in the basement, ground and first floor while other eight floors would be used for parking of vehicles.
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