In a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Huawei Pakistan and Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU）to revive the Ravi river into a Safe/Smart City.
The ceremony was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, CEO RUDA Imran Amin, Huawei Pakistan CEO, Mr. Mark Meng, Huawei Pakistan Dy CEO, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Masud, Huawei UAE Senior VP Mr. Safder Nazir, Huawei Pakistan Lahore MD, Mr. Li Wen, along with other respective members.
Prime Minister Imran Khan praised RUDA and Huawei’s support to build a new Safe and Smart River Forest City and looking forward to bringing this initiative throughout the country.
Read More: Ravi Riverfront: Pakistan’s First Planned City of this Century
The Parties will cooperate on Smart Forests development across design and construction execution phases by latest technologies such as IoT, Cloud Computing, Big Data, AI, Data Center Network, Storage and Servers, Data Center Facility, Intelligent Security Surveillance System, Solar Energy, etc.
Pakistan launches first smart forest to conserve nature with technology. RUDA partnering with @Huawei to monitor and protect forests 🌳🇵🇰https://t.co/ztHgufq933
— Sana Jamal (@Sana_Jamal) August 25, 2021
The project will be the first major planned city after Islamabad was set up in the 1960s under President Ayub Khan when the capital was shifted from Karachi to Islamabad. Phase one of the Ravi Riverfront project was launched with Prime Minister Imran Khan laying the foundations.
Read More: Pakistan’s top 15 companies win bid for development rights of Sapphire Bay
The project covers 100,000 acres of land on the riverfront of river Ravi and is to be based on international standards in line with the latest housing developments as seen in Dubai and the UAE.
In a bidding process in May 2021, the Arif Habib Javedan Consortium won the development rights for Sapphire Bay, the name for the first phase of the Ravi city project. According to RUDA, as many as eight groups were pre-qualified for submitting their technical bids for the project.
This development is much needed for Lahore’s future as a megacity and Punjab. The added concept of REIT funding may help maintain the transparency needed to shield it during the political transitions in Punjab.