Punjab’s anti-smog drive: Lahore’s railway track greenbelt revived

LAHORE: The Punjab government has initiated preparations for a Green Corridor project, along the railway track stretching from Shahdara to Raiwind, converting the area into green belts.

The planned corridor will cover a 40-kilometer stretch of railway track and span approximately 700 kanals of land. The total estimated cost is Rs2.35 billion, and the project is expected to be completed within one year.

The project has been divided into four phases. The first phase will cover Shahdara to the railway station. The second will extend from the station to Walton. The third phase will continue from Walton to Kot Lakhpat, and the final segment will run from Kot Lakhpat to Raiwind.

This major environmental project is aimed at addressing smog and pollution in the province.

According to the Housing Department, the project will be carried out in collaboration with the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and Pakistan Railways.

The corridor will also include recreational spaces at different points, while old railway coaches will be repurposed into libraries and cafes, according to the department’s spokesperson.

The Housing Department has submitted the PC-1 of the project to the Planning and Development department for approval.

PROJECT DATES BACK TO 2016

This green corridor project was first initiated in August 2016, under the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. At that time, the 40-km corridor was set to be completed in one and half years at an estimated cost of Rs 820 million. Now the cost has tripled to Rs2.35 billion.

HUM News English reached out to the Punjab Housing Department to seek response on this. They said that the project had been delayed because of the change in the leadership, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government did not continue the plan.

Now, with the similar leadership back at the helm, and the environmental projects being atop the provincial government’s priorities, the project has been resumed once again.

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