Lahore in the Spotlight

[RAPTOR]

Lahore in spotlight

By Nadeem Syed
Lahore is right in the spotlight of all the big players in the arena of investment and development and that is an exciting prospect for every Lahorite. Just imagine Prince Waleed shifting his focus to Lahore. He intends to build a modern, state-of-art hotel on The Mall. Probably the Punjab government cannot wait any more to start a new engagement with the Prince, smelling Saudi money pumping into Lahore and other parts of the province. The setting is quite good for Pakistan as Saudi investors are looking for new avenues and places for investment after being looked down upon by Americans in the wake of disastrous 9/11. We have another exciting report that Abdul Rehman Bukhatar is all set to build a sports city on the banks of River Ravi. That will go a long way towards improving the city in this part of the world. The Sports City will have a number of sports complex, stadiums to host international events, hotels and villas, good enough to accommodate 8000 people at a time.
We have also learnt that the Punjab government is setting up an authority to revive the old glory of the city’s downtown, the walled city, historic gates and other historical monuments. These monuments have a great potential to attract tourists in the city. So any move to restore their grandeur and glory is a step in the right direction, though quite late in the day.
The city is also being connected with other major cities and business centres through new motorways. Imagine travelling to Sialkot within 45 minutes. That will be a real treat for the local population. More noteworthy, the leading international donor agencies have shown a great interest in the Punjab. The World Bank, engaged with the Punjab in many areas, including education and irrigation, has shifted its focus to Lahore and other parts of the province, away from its traditional base in Karachi.
The success stories of the Punjab including greater industrial and agricultural growth with its multiplier effects, seen in the expansion of retail and wholesale network, finance, insurance and services, storage, transport and communications sectors, mean a lot to these international financial institutions, upgrading their engagement with the province. The Asian Development bank too is working on a new strategy for the Punjab given its potential. While a recent report dubbed Pakistan as a failed state, the representatives of the WB and ADP are all praise for the province, for the economic gains made by the Punjab, terming it a role model for other provinces. They showered heaps of praise on the political and bureaucratic leadership for their economic and financial management, urging them to keep up the good work.
Foreign diplomats are also taking keen interest in the reforms being carried out in the province, exploring the prospects of investment for their business classes. Last week, Ch. Pervaiz Elahi invited 40 foreign envoys to city. The CM and the Chief Secretary briefed them on what was going on in the Punjab as an image building measure.
The aim of such interaction was not only to dispel some of the misperceptions harboured in the diplomatic circles, but also share the success story of the Punjab with our international partners. The move to invite so many diplomats was quite timely, showing the confidence in the leadership of the Punjab that they are doing enough to show to the world. The Chief Secretary’s briefing was most impressive on this occasion. The representatives of WB and ADP were right in giving the present leadership of the Punjab its due credit No doubt; the moving spirit behind Punjab’s success is Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi. He has taken some creative decisions and major initiatives in the field of education, health and agriculture.
It is more note worthy that these initiatives have been recognized internationally. Good thing about Pervaiz Elahi is this that he is always open to good ideas. Even in his leisure and pastime you will find him exchanging views and idea with friends how to improve things further in the province, picking good idea for the implementation. He can do a lot more provided there is a political stability in the country.
The provincial bureaucracy is very supportive of him in translating political decisions and vision into reality. Chief Secretary Salman Siddique is a smart officer, who does not believe in status quo. He has introduced some fresh and effective approaches in the management of the Punjab’s finances and economy. Before him the former Chief Secretary Hafeez Akhtar too was a creative bureaucrat, knowing fully the art of how to get things done properly and methodically.
The Punjab has also a more stable political, economic and social setting, a more peaceful place, as compared to other province and so under the greater limelight. It has a more peaceful, tolerant and moderate population, amenable to new ideas and changes around the world. A lot of development is taking place on Pakistan-India front. There was a report the other day that the Indian Prime Minister looked forward to wrap up the Kashmir issue by 2008. Any durable thaw in Pak-India relations would bring Lahore further in the limelight, raising its stature overnight, turning it into hub of trade and a gateway to Afghanistan, and Central Asia. That is an exciting prospect for us all. Probably, those interested to cultivate business interests in the city too have this future prospect in their mind.

 

[Asian.Century]

Shifting of Universities/College to Lahore suburbs concerns parents, students

LAHORE
Parents and teachers have expressed their concerns over the shifting of universities to suburbs of Lahore, as the move is causing financial problems, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Various universities located in the middle of Lahore were forced to construct larger campuses in the city's suburbs to meet the demands of higher education and the ever-increasing number of students.

University buses charge Rs 2,000 to 4,000 per month for transporting students to varsities located at the Burki and Raiwind roads. If a student spends Rs 3,000 per month on transporting charges, the whole four-year undergraduate programme would cost him approximately Rs 0.15 million excluding the vacations.

People complained that even prestigious educational institutions had opened their campuses outside the city putting an extra burden on the students. According to parents, precious time of students is wasted due to the long distances between the university campus and their homes.

According to private university sources, sky-rocketing property prices and unavailability of big lands in the city had forced them to construct campuses outside the city. Students complain that their precious time is wasted while waiting for university buses.

Bilal, a MBA student at the Lahore School of Economics (LSE) located at Burki Road, said, "Our university charges too much for the bus service. It's difficult for students belonging to middle class families to pay the transportation charges along with the tuition fees."

LSE spokesman Javed Ahmed told Pakistan Today that the institution is providing a shuttle bus service from their Liberty campus to Burki campus and most of the students could afford their own conveyance as well. "We offer a bus service but it's not free of cost as we have to pay the price of fuel," he said.

Parents demanded all stakeholders including the Punjab government, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), university owners and parents to devise a mechanism for solving the problem. Muhammad Jamil, father of a student, said, "The gap between the rich and poor is widening day by day. There used to be a difference between government and English medium schools but now only the rich could afford sending their children to private universities, as it is almost impossible to send our children to universities located in the city's suburbs."

"The fuel of my motorcycle costs at least Rs 2,000 per month. The government should facilitate universities in buying big lands in the city," said a student of D-Pharmacy at a university located at the Raiwind Road. He said that he usually missed his first class of the day, as he had to cover a distance of 20 kilometres daily.

Speaking on why students preferred private universities, Ali Asad, a student, said, "It's difficult to meet the merits of public-sector universities and the quality of education provided by private-sector universities has improved since the last couple of years."

Pakistan Today

 

[Leader]

^^ Na parnay ke bahanay or kia !!

 

[Asian.Century]

^^ Na parnay ke bahanay or kia !!

LOL , Are u sure?

I think the shift to South lahore near Johar Town, and far beyond till Raiwand Lahore is purely due to congestion, Large space for University sustainability and inability to handle crowds as Lahore an education city gets young students from all over Pakistan.

 

[alimohsan52]

More policing is needed in Lahore

 

[Baby Leone]

hmmm gud..hope Karachi comes in competition again....

 

[Black Eagle 90]

Shifting of Universities/College to Lahore suburbs concerns parents, students

LAHORE
Parents and teachers have expressed their concerns over the shifting of universities to suburbs of Lahore, as the move is causing financial problems, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Various universities located in the middle of Lahore were forced to construct larger campuses in the city's suburbs to meet the demands of higher education and the ever-increasing number of students.

University buses charge Rs 2,000 to 4,000 per month for transporting students to varsities located at the Burki and Raiwind roads. If a student spends Rs 3,000 per month on transporting charges, the whole four-year undergraduate programme would cost him approximately Rs 0.15 million excluding the vacations.

People complained that even prestigious educational institutions had opened their campuses outside the city putting an extra burden on the students. According to parents, precious time of students is wasted due to the long distances between the university campus and their homes.

According to private university sources, sky-rocketing property prices and unavailability of big lands in the city had forced them to construct campuses outside the city. Students complain that their precious time is wasted while waiting for university buses.

Bilal, a MBA student at the Lahore School of Economics (LSE) located at Burki Road, said, "Our university charges too much for the bus service. It's difficult for students belonging to middle class families to pay the transportation charges along with the tuition fees."

LSE spokesman Javed Ahmed told Pakistan Today that the institution is providing a shuttle bus service from their Liberty campus to Burki campus and most of the students could afford their own conveyance as well. "We offer a bus service but it's not free of cost as we have to pay the price of fuel," he said.

Parents demanded all stakeholders including the Punjab government, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), university owners and parents to devise a mechanism for solving the problem. Muhammad Jamil, father of a student, said, "The gap between the rich and poor is widening day by day. There used to be a difference between government and English medium schools but now only the rich could afford sending their children to private universities, as it is almost impossible to send our children to universities located in the city's suburbs."

"The fuel of my motorcycle costs at least Rs 2,000 per month. The government should facilitate universities in buying big lands in the city," said a student of D-Pharmacy at a university located at the Raiwind Road. He said that he usually missed his first class of the day, as he had to cover a distance of 20 kilometres daily.

Speaking on why students preferred private universities, Ali Asad, a student, said, "It's difficult to meet the merits of public-sector universities and the quality of education provided by private-sector universities has improved since the last couple of years."

Pakistan Today

Instead of shifting, the Punjab Govt. should relocate the universities in the center of Lahore and also make a separate campus for male and Females of the university....

 

[war&peace]

Lahore and Karachi have grown out of proportions and no matter how much money we spent on these cities, they have become naturally uncontrollable and eye-sores. Large metropolitan cities suffer from crimes and plethora of problems even in the developed countries..For example Tokyo, extreme congestion, crime, high cost of living and very limited housing, Paris, London, NYC.....the list goes on but in third the problem gets compounded due to poverty, corruption, ill-planning, qabza-mafias and slums. The unjust distribution of resources by incompetent govt of PMLn especially has concentrated all the resources of Punjab in just one city thus causing a mass migration into the already swollen metropolitan. The need is to stop it from further expanding and distributing more and more resources out of the city so as to reduce the stress on common people in the city.

 

[Asian.Century]

Mighty 8-lane Gulberg to Babu Sabu Motorway M2 new fast Expressway

LAHORE: A planned eight-lane Elevated Expressway from Lahore Gulberg near Qaddaffi Stadium to the Motorway (M-II), earlier scrapped by Lahore High Court, has returned to the limelight with a public hearing of the initiative slated for Monday.

The revised environmental impact assessment report of the project envisions a four-lane dual-carriage highway. “The project is of pivotal importance when it comes to overcoming heavy traffic across the city, especially when it comes to exiting Lahore from the M-II or accessing Allama Iqbal International Airport from there in the least amount of time possible,” the report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune states. Largely being constructed in densely populated parts of the city, 1, 715 trees will be felled due to the project.

The report recommends planting at least three times and (up to five times) more trees to replace trees felled. A large portion of the expressway will be constructed above the Cantt Drain, which runs across the city. According to the report, the entire expressway will not be constructed over the drain, “but in the long-run may be aligned to position it underneath the structure.” The report goes on to clarify that this would be executed as a separate initiative, dates of which cannot be predicted as of now.

The report then proceeds to argue that the project will have a positive impact on the environment. This, it says, will be so as currently traffic levels release pernicious gases like carbon, sulphur and nitrogen, which a signal-free road, will reduce. “…A number of adverse environmental impacts can also be assessed when the proposed project is implemented. Almost all adverse environmental impacts will be temporary, thus short term mitigations are required.” However, the report does acknowledge that the visual impact on the area’s aesthetics will be enduring.

The report also elucidates the various measures needed to curb environmental degradation during the project’s construction. These include installing a fence around the construction area and regular sprinkling of water. Excavated soil will also be given “proper cover” by using boarding mats and being effectively disposed of “to avoid disturbing natural drainage.” The report also recommends all earthwork such as site-preparation and levelling to be carried out over the dry season.

As many as 886.16 kanals of land needs to be procured for the project. The report states that this will affect 563 houses. Most of the land is located alongside the banks of the Cantt Drain.

The total cost of the project stands at Rs35.3 billion with Rs3.5 billion being earmarked for land acquisition. Additionally, environmental monitoring of the project will cost Rs28.89 million. The 31-metre expressway is expected to be completed in two years. The report fails to comprehensively discuss alternatives to the project. “Different alternatives were also considered by engineers for the proposed project which include with and without options. The main objective was to consider various alternatives to make the project more environment-friendly, acceptable and sustainable with respect to its location and layout,” the report fleetingly mentions.

Published in The Express Tribune.