Punjab government spokesperson Hasaan Khawar has said that the Lahore Central Business District project, started with just Rs100 million, has so far generated an investment of Rs40 billion, which is set to increase to Rs100 billion by March and Rs200 billion a year later.
Talking to the media after visiting the site of CBD Prime, the first project of the scheme, he said the government was aiming to generate business activities of up to Rs2.5 trillion from the initiative.
The spokesperson accused previous governments of investing scarce national resources on expensive projects without future planning.
The vision of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was to utilise public sector resources when utmost necessary to make unused government land usable and create jobs through new businesses and private investment, he added
“With this in mind, we are introducing the concepts of urban regeneration and vertical growth in Lahore Central Business District,” he said.
Hasaan Khawar said that after CBD Prime, the Central Business District’s master plan included the first organised downtown area, a digital and a residential city.
He said the project included modern civic initiatives like blue roads, underground traffic system, facilities for pedestrians, smart trees, an uninterrupted power supply and the ‘internet of things’.
After being given a presentation in a container, the special assistant to the chief minister said the journey that had started from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s container at D-Chowk had reached the development container in Lahore and he prayed that such containers would reach every city of the country.
Answering a question, he said hospitals were showing a willingness to be included in the health card panel to attract business.
