Infrastructure Development in Pakistan

[Omar1984]

Cultural heritage revived: Groundbreaking ceremony of Swat museum held

Italian consul general is seen releasing a dove on the occasion. Malala Yousafzai is also present. PHOTO: FAZAL KHALIQ


SWAT: The foundation stone laying ceremony of Swat museum, which was seriously damaged by the 2005 earthquake and for the second time in a blast in 2009, was held on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, Dr Luca Maria Olivieri said, “The Swat museum is being reconstructed for everyone who loves the Swat valley and its people.”It is also our way to honour the losses suffered by the people in Swat during the militancy.”

The total budget for the project is Rs221,000,000, 50 per cent of which is committed to the reconstruction of the Swat museum, and the rest to excavations, restorations, training and awareness programmes and protection of 11 major sites.

When the new museum opens its doors to the public in 11 months’ time, it will serve as an example of the renovation of a popular tourist attraction in Swat. The museum will also function as a centre for cultural activities. The new museum houses a conference room, which will be accessible to the public even when the museum is closed.

Swat museum will be reconstructed under a project funded by the Pakistan-Italian Debt Swap Agreement (FIDSA), implemented by Archaeology-Community-Tourism/Field School Project. The University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar will offer technical support.

Faryal Gauhar, a Phd scholar of Cultural Heritage and Management who was present at the ceremony, said, “Swat is not only beautiful, it is also renowned for its cultural heritage. Swat is home to the Gandhara Civilisation.”

Some years back militants tried to push Swat into the darkness but these forces could not succeed, she added. Nations need to honour their past if they wish to progress. “Tourism and culture are interlinked and play a vital role in strengthening the economy.”

“The reconstruction of the museum will send a message to the world that peace has returned to Swat valley and tourists are once again welcome, said Muhammad Pervaish Shaheen, a historian and scholar. “This will encourage domestic and foreign tourists to visit Swat.”

Swat Archaeological Museum, in Saidu Sharif, is one of the most important tourist attractions of Swat valley and the entire Malakand division. The original museum was constructed in 1959 by the Wali of Swat.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Tourism and Museums and Sports Aqil Shah thanked the Italian government for extending assistance and said, “This is a big step towards the revival of tourism in Swat.

The ceremony was attended by the Consul General of Italy in Islamabad Caterina Ronchi, officials from the archaeology department and civil society members.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2012


Cultural heritage revived: Groundbreaking ceremony of Swat museum held – The Express Tribune

 

[Omar1984]

 

[Omar1984]

 

[Omar1984]

 

[Omar1984]

Mega housing project to ease pressure on Peshawar


PESHAWAR, Feb 24: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti is expected to give a formal go-ahead for the construction of a multi-billion rupees mega city near Peshawar by first week of March, a government official said.

Asfandyar City to be built over 14,000 acres at an estimated cost of Rs160 billion is being touted as the biggest housing scheme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“This will cater to our housing needs for the next two, three decades and will reduce pressure on Peshawar,” director general, Peshawar Development Authority, Qazi Mohammad Laiq told Dawn .

“It will include a medical city and an educational city. Planning will be done on modern lines. It is going to be the jewel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he remarked.

The Planning and Development Department has approved its concept papers and a request has been made to the chief minister to convene a meeting to give it his approval, said Mr Laiq who expects the groundbreaking ceremony of Asfandyar City somewhere in June. “Asfandyar City will be bigger than Hayatabad and Regi Model Town put together,” he said.

REGI MODEL TOWN: The PDA DG said that part of the long-stalled Regi Model Town had been opened for construction work and an inaugural ceremony in this regard was planned on Feb 28. He said that all development work had been completed and plot owners could now start construction work in Zone-II. “Some people have already started constructing houses,” he said.

He claimed that other zones would soon be cleared for construction work. He said that final adjudication of the long-running boundary dispute with the Kukikhel Afridis would end after a legal battle in Peshawar High Court.

Mr Laiq said that the PDA had already paid Rs40 million to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited on the court orders to provide gas to Regi town, but a federal government ban on new connections was coming in the way. The DG said he would request the chief minister to seek intervention of Prime Minister Gilani and reprieve for gas provision to the town.

He said that a police station, market and mosque had been built and further measures were being taken to beef up security in the town.

RING ROARD: Mr Laiq acknowledged that slow work on Ring Road, Peshawar, could cause delay of months, but denied that the PDA was responsible for it. He however, declined to comment on reasons for the delay.

The 16km road is being rehabilitated and expanded by adding one lane each on the dual carriageway with the help of narcotics affairs section (NAS) of the United States with a cost of Rs5 billion. Work began in March 2011 and was expected to be completed by August, but the slow work has irked those commuting between G.T. Road and Hayatabad.

A government official put the blame on NAS itself for refusing to let a consortium of more than one contractor undertake the project. “The volume of the work could not be undertaken by a single contractor alone,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

GULBAHAR FLYOVER: The PDA DG said that work on Gulbahar Flyover was expected to be completed ahead of Dec 2012 deadline. This, he said, would greatly address traffic issues on the main city artery. He said that the flyover would be opened to traffic by July.

The one-kilometre flyover costing Rs67 million would cost half the money spent on half as long flyover built in Lahore, Mr Laiq remarked. The 500-meter flyover in Lahore had cost Rs1.5 billion, he added.

He said the PDA had also identified 11 interchanges to be built in Peshawar to address traffic issues in the city.

MISSING LINK: Claiming credit for reviving the northern part of Peshawar Ring Road from Charsadda Road to Pachaggi to Warsak Road, Mr Laiq said he not only revived the project – which remained shelved for nearly 20 years – but was also able to save considerable amount of money through a legal battle with a group of claimants.

He said that the chief minister had promised to provide funds to undertake the project that would eventually link up with Jamrud Road, bypassing the northern fringe of Peshawar.


Mega housing project to ease pressure on Peshawar | Provinces | DAWN.COM

 

[Omar1984]

Lahore Ring Road Updates:

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:35 PM ----------

Lahore Ring Road: Commuters to pay tax through 14 toll plazas

Project likely to be completed by end of Feb; motorcycles, rickshaws banned.

“Fourteen toll plazas will be constructed on the northern loop of the Ring Road, the Lahore Ring Road (LRR) deputy project director, Najam Waheed.

These include Niazi Chowk, Mehmood Booti, GT Road, Harbanspura, Abdullah Gul, and Packages 6, 7, 10 and 11. However, rates for the toll tax have not been revealed yet.

Waheed said motorcycles and rickshaws would not be allowed to enter the Ring Road once it is completed by the end of February.

The northern loop was originally scheduled to be complete by November 2011. Waheed said currently motorcyclists mostly used the Ring Road till the Bhatta Chowk Interchange to enter and exit Defence.

“As soon as the toll plazas are set up, bikes and rickshaws will instantly be banned on the Ring Road. The Ring Road is a fast moving track and slow moving vehicles will not only endanger their own lives but also the lives of other commuters.”

Zubair Jan, a resident of Defence, said that the road ahead of Bhatta Interchange was only used by racers. He said most of them performed stunts and there were no traffic police to address to stop them.

Reasons for delay
As many as 35 km of the 40 km long northern loop has been completed.

Work on the remaining section (package 14, 16 and 17) was inaugurated in April last year. It was to be complete by November.

Lahore Commissioner Jawad Rafique Malik, who is the Lahore Ring Road project director, told The Express Tribune the two packages would be completed by the end of February. He attributed the delay in construction to the time taken in acquiring land and setting up the Ring Road Authority.

The LRR northern loop’s fifth and final interchange (package 15) had been inaugurated a month earlier by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The commissioner hoped that work on the southern loop, linking the road to the motorway, would be completed by the end of 2012.

The Southern loop will have five interchanges. It is divided in four sections and is 48 km long.

A Nespak official said an international firm will build the southern loop on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. He said the eight kilometre southern loop stretch connecting Package 17 to Ferozepur Road would take at least eight months to complete.


Lahore Ring Road: Commuters to pay tax through 14 toll plazas – The Express Tribune

 

[SHAMK9]

few new projects in karachi

 

[SHAMK9]

 

[Omar1984]

We need this also in other cities of Pakistan

 

[SHAMK9]

We need this also in other cities of Pakistan

imagine that in gwadar

 

[Omar1984]

Karachi Emerald Tower

Current construction site:

Updates:

 

[SHAMK9]

another project for karachi

 

[Omar1984]

More of these new buildings, Telecom Tower and ISE Tower in Islamabad

 

[Omar1984]

Aiwan-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore

construction site:

LAHORE - Work on Aiwan-e-Quaid-e-Azam, a state-of-the-art project on 48 kanals at Johar Town, is continuing with great pace. The roof of the under-construction library of the Aiwan has been completed.

Aiwan-e-Quaid is being constructed on the vision of TheNation Editor-in-Chief and Nazaria Pakistan Trust Chairman Majid Nizami for the ideological training of the youth. On June 6, 2009, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had inaugurated the building, which would be completed in two phases.

The construction work on Phase-I was started on August 2011. A picture gallery about Two-Nation Theory, an auditorium, a documentary and a research centre, Pakistan Ideological Training University, hostels and Yadgar Shuhuda-e-Pakistan would be constructed at Aiwan. A need had always been felt by the patriotic Pakistani people that there was not a single memorial in the name of great leader who had founded a country for the Muslims of the sub-continent. Keeping in this mind, Majid Nizami had presented the vision to build Aiwan-Quaid. It is believed that Aiwan after construction would be a centre of the ideological training of young generations, students and proud for Pakistani nation.

Aiwan-e-Quaid in full swing | The Nation

 

[Omar1984]

Airmen Golf Course which is an 18 hole PGA standard golf course located within the PAF Base Korangi. This is a prime and picturesque property in a prestigious, easily accessible and extremely safe and secure location in the heart of Karachi on the pristine waters of the Arabian Sea with breathtaking views of the ocean.