Daily Times

The multi-trillion rupee residential and commercial city project, inaugurated last year by the Punjab government and which is to be constructed along the Ravi River, has been termed critical for the “survival of Lahore”. A whopping 100,000 acres of fertile agricultural land has been allocated to this “most modern city” that promises to be fashioned in the style of Dubai.

Many among our traditional upper-class as well as the nouveau riche idealise Dubai. The good news is that Pakistan will soon have its own version located right on the river front. But the bad news is that the project – supervised by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) – will gobble up thousands of acres of farm and forest land. On this soil grew vegetables and fruit that catered to the daily needs of the teeming population of over ten million inhabitants of the provincial metropolis.

Choosing fertile agricultural land and gardens to build concrete structures amounts to being insensitive towards nature. Setting up colonies by cutting down mango trees and destroying gardens on the outskirts of Multan also falls into the same category. Mango trees take years of constant care and attention to grow before they begin to bear fruit. So many varieties of mango grown in our country are not grown anywhere else in the world. Who hasn’t tasted Anwar Ratole, Dusehri or Langra? One cannot help but lick one’s lips after devouring a sweet mango. And this fruit is not only the pride of our country – it has immense export value. In other words, it’s a forex earner.

Nobody in their right mind could object to the development of a gigantic city sprawled over thousands of acres of land. Yet it’s the choice of location which perturbs the thinking mind. After all, why urbanise further an already overpopulated city? Why can more suitable areas not be found for such development work? Would a vast chunk of land between the Jhelum River and the Kallar Kahar Salt Range mountain valley not do? After all, this land is rocky and overrun with wild Mesquite trees. Not many crops worth any value grow there.

It’s a pity that the Saraiki belt produced a president, governors and chief ministers who remained indifferent to developing the region. During the last elections, some politicians from South Punjab favoured a new province. So, now that they are in power, why is no one suggesting cultivating this ‘new Dubai’ in the underdeveloped Saraiki belt?

However, South Punjab offers the most suitable spots on which to build new cities. Vast tracts of sandy land stretch from the Muzaffargarh district to Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah and up to Bhakkar. Sand dunes and the sandy belt near Muzaffargarh comprise thousands of hectares of land which are almost tailor-made to accommodate a Dubai-style commercial and residential venture. All it would need is the setting up of good schools, colleges and a university or two.

The returns for such an undertaking could be immense.

Much talk is heard about developing South Punjab to assuage the sense of deprivation of the people of the Saraiki belt. So, this project could create untold opportunities for the people of the underdeveloped and deprived districts. Locals will find employment near their homes and thus won’t have to move to urban centres to seek jobs. It would only need better road and motorway networks to travel to the regional secretariat, Multan, for instance.

As for now, one feels sorry for the fruit sellers hawking their wares in Saraiki on Lahore roads. They don’t abandon their home and hearth for the pleasure of it; they are compelled to do so in order to earn their livelihood. The daily occupation for the countless in this country is how to stay alive by meeting the basic requirements of life. As for now, the poor of the Saraiki belt content themselves by singing Saraiki folk songs. If only this were enough to fill their empty stomachs!

It’s a pity that the Saraiki belt produced a president, governors and chief ministers who remained indifferent to developing the backward region to which they belonged. During the last elections, some politicians from South Punjab were extremely vocal about establishing a new province. But with time, their enthusiasm seems to have died down. Why do these same politicians, now that they are in power, not suggest developing this ‘new Dubai’ in the underdeveloped Saraiki belt?

Perspicacious public leaders always think ahead of time and perceive ideas solely to benefit their nations in times to come. They think in the long-term interests of their people. Take the case of the Australian government. It discourages newcomers from abroad to settle in overpopulated cities like Sydney and Melbourne. The civic amenities in these two main cities couldn’t meet the pressure if more people were allowed to move in. Hence, the government announced regional areas for the jobseekers and intending settlers to populate the sparsely inhabited regions. That’s how the welfare states plan their cities and equal distribution of population.

The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity@gmail.com