‘We will be homeless’: Lahore farmers accuse ‘mafia’ of land grab for new city | Global development | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/nov/02/we-will-be-homeless-lahore-farmers-accuse-mafia-of-land-grab-for-new-ci
It has been called Pakistan’s answer to Dubai, a brand new multitrillion-rupee development of towering skyscrapers, futuristic domes and floating walkways.
But Ravi Riverfront City, described as the “world’s largest riverfront modern city” also faces accusations of rampant land grabs by prime minister Imran Khan’s government, which has championed the project. Hundreds of thousands of farmers who could never afford to live in the modern urban utopia are now at risk of eviction.
As well as the human cost of the development, being built on a 40,000-hectare (100,000-acre) site adjacent to Pakistan’s megacity of Lahore, many fear it will wreak environmental devastation to the Ravi river, currently undergoing ecological restoration, and surrounding forests.
According to the government, the new city will be an alternative to London and Dubai for Pakistani and foreign tourists, create millions of jobs and alleviate pressure on land in Lahore.