CHICAGO, Mar 14 (APP): The Mayor of Lahore, Mubashar Javed, has told an international forum that he plans to turn the Lahore Canal and River Ravi into tourist and environmental friendly destinations.
Speaking at the Urban Waterways Forum, which met in Chicago on Monday, he said that wide-ranging development work was being carried out with the help of federal, provincial and local governments.
The Forum was co-hosted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago and Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris. Around 13 Mayors, spanning five continents, participated in the Forum.
Mayor Javed thanked the host Mayors for inviting him to the forum, saying this was his first visit outside Pakistan since his election in December 2016 which is indicative of the bonds between Sister Cities of Chicago and Lahore.
He praised the initiative by Mayor Emanuel, a former chief of staff of President Barack Obama, to create global consensus to develop Urban Waterways.
Mayor Javed briefed the participants about Punjab government’s ongoing projects to utilize waterways to transport the goods and passengers, saying he would learn from the experiences of all Mayors in turning these water reserves into engine of economic growth and development. In this regard, he gave a detailed briefing on Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s initiative of Metro Bus project.
Mayor Javed was one of the main speakers at the 1817 Startup Platform, a networking body, of and briefed scores of CEOs and IT specialists based in Chicago about the emerging IT Sector in Pakistan with a number of IT graduates, graduating from different Universities in Lahore.
He especially referred to the effectiveness of the Safe City Project launched by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif which helped in cracking down the perpetrators of criminal and terrorist acts in Pakistan.
He also invited 1871 to start a joint venture with many startups in Lahore which are providing back office support for many businesses in the US.
Besides his participation at the Forum, Mayor Mubashar Javed held official meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who lauded the role of Pakistani-American Community of Chicago in developing city’s economic and social life. He also praised the role of Pakistan Consulate in fostering relations between the Sister Cities of Chicago and Lahore. He also extended an invitation to Mayor Emanuel for a visit to Pakistan which he accepted.
Mayor Mubashar Javed also held meetings with Mayors of Paris (France), Shenyang (China), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cape Town (South Africa), Gothenburg (Sweden), Mexico City (Mexico), Montreal (Canada), Baltimore (USA), Buffalo (USA), Dallas (USA), as well as Detroit (USA) and discussed various aspects of urban development.
