In underprivileged areas of southern Punjab, the provincial government shifted its focus to the city center prior to the 2023 parliamentary elections. For the first few years, the Pakistani government’s Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) had few mega-infrastructure projects in central Punjab or other city centers in the state. The focus of the provincial government is all in South Punjab, where thousands of large and small development projects have been started and completed in poor areas. Another secretariat has been set up and a new building is under construction in Multan, expected to be completed by August 2023. It also assigned the South Punjab Secretariat building in Bahawalpur a 400-channel parcel.
Now, after three years of administration, the government seems to have shifted its focus to Central Punjab, especially Lahore, to present the project in the next general election. Punjab Prime Minister Usman Buzdar recently announced an increase in 50 billion rupees highway projects from Gulberg to the M2 highway and a new multi-tiered doorway for Shahdara Morr at an estimated cost of 6.5 billion rupees. Plans for an additional lane at the Lahore Bridge, Data Gandhi Baksh flyover at a cost of 4.9 billion rupees, and a Sharkham flyover project at an estimated cost of 2.54 billion rupees have also been announced. The government also approved a three-mile signal-less corridor project from Gulberg Center Point to Walton Road’s Defense Moe, improving traffic flow in the city at an estimated cost of 2.8 billion rupees.
The government has also announced a new eco-friendly public transport shuttle system for Lahore. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Buzdar approved the proposal to operate 100 shuttle buses in Lahore in the first phase. He instructed him to increase the number of buses to accommodate the increasing number of daily commuters. He also announced better transportation options to Delagaji Khan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and other cities, saying that eco-friendly buses would also help overcome smog. Improving public transport is the order of the day to reduce pollution, he said. The CM also received a report on Thokar Niaz Baig latest bus stand project and ordered early completion to reduce congestion and pollution. The Prime Minister said the current government completed the Orange Line Metro Train project, like other incomplete projects by arranging the necessary funding. Public transport plans should be finalized after due diligence, and six projects, including the Orange Line Metro Train, Metro Bus System, and Shuttle System, have been heavily subsidized, he said.
