LAHORE:
The completion of agreements with Chinese, South Korean, and Saudi Arabian businesses for the development of the IT City in Lahore has been mandated by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
She stated that yearly goals for the CBD projects should be established and progress reports should be filed in accordance with them while presiding over a meeting to hear a thorough briefing on the initiatives of the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority.
The establishment of CBD Business Centers in eight Punjabi cities was decided upon during the meeting. In addition to building a stadium, the idea to create a “City of Sports” in Sialkot was also deliberated during the discussion.
It was decided to implement the necessary laws to create a Real Estate Investment Trust inside the province.
It was also assessed how far along the Silicon Cluster development project in Lahore IT City Lahore was.
The chief minister was notified that Kalma Chowk will host a CBD Grand Central Station. On Ferozepur Road, there will also be a 600-store and restaurant complex called Grand Souk Lahore.
The chief minister was informed by the relevant authorities that Main Boulevard will have environmentally friendly blue roads constructed by the CBD authority.
Imran Amin, CEO of CBD, gave an evaluation report on the efforts in the Quaid, Bab, and Pindi Districts.
Attending the meeting were Senator Pervaiz Rashid, MPA Sania Ashiq, Special Assistant Zeeshan Malik, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Provincial Minister for Information and Culture Azma Zahid Bukhari. Attendees included the chief secretary, principal secretary, COO of CBD, chairman of P&D, secretary of finance, and other pertinent officers.
The Planning and Development Board met for five hours under the direction of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to discuss specific projects and initiatives in depth.
She was told that Punjab has launched a Global IT Certificate Program. Under the CM Skill Development Program, IT training will be available to at least 4,000 young people.
She emphasized the timely completion of development projects, particularly those pertaining to health, according to a release.
In addition to establishing the OPD of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha by December 2025, the chief minister issued orders to finish the first phase of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer in Lahore within a year.
She was informed that the province was currently undertaking seven massive health-related projects at an estimated cost of Rs145 billion.
She was told, “Main hospitals will be remodeled by June, while the first phase of construction and rehabilitation of rural and primary health centers will be completed in October.”
During the briefing, the chief minister was told that five expressways on strategic Punjabi routes would be built at an estimated cost of Rs176 billion. During the conference, the development and extension of the Multan-Vehari, Sahiwal-Samundri, Bahawalpur-Jhangra, Chicha Watani-Chowk Azam, and Faisalabad-Chiniot-Sargodha roads were also discussed.
The authorities have been instructed by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to assign a single complaint number to each department.
She was told that by January 1st of next year, the districts’ Smart Safe Cities will be operational, and work will begin this month on a 204-bed, three-story Safe City Hostel in Lahore.
The chief minister was also told by the concerned officials that Punjab has seen the planting of six million seedlings during this year’s plantation program. A choice was made regarding the plants’ GIS monitoring. In addition, Punjab will host a wildlife survey.
In addition, the Provincial Database Authority has begun a Social Registry Survey, which should be finished by the end of the following month.
By June, an air ambulance service will begin, and by December, a highway ambulance service will follow.
In order to bring the public transportation system up to date, 330 eco-friendly buses would be run in other cities and 300 in Lahore.
During the conference, a plan to produce electric buses locally was also discussed and reviewed.
The chief minister was informed by the relevant authorities that daycare facilities will be set up in government buildings.
