ISLAMABAD: A multidisciplinary Lebanese consulting company has been picked by development authorities to design a new master plan for Pakistan’s second largest city of Lahore, local media reported on Tuesday.

Lahore Development Authority Director-General Ahmed Aziz Tarar chaired a meeting of the consultant selection committee on Monday where a financial bid of Rs520 million for the qualifying company was also opened.

“The technical proposals of three companies were evaluated before finalizing Lebanese company Dar Al-Handasah to make the master plan 2050 for Lahore,” Geo News reported. “The two other companies in the running were Singapore’s Mine Heart and Pakistan’s Nespak.”

Tarar told media that several experts and stakeholders had been consulted to define the terms of reference for the new master plan which would determine the future development of the provincial metropolis. He said transparency would be a top priority in selecting a company and designing the plan.

A newly built Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT), a metro project planned under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), drives through on a track after an official opening in the eastern city of Lahore on October 26, 2020. (AFP)



“At Dar, we provide planning, design, management and consultancy for the world’s most important and exciting projects,” the Lebanese company’s website said. “Together with our team of experts, we embrace challenges to empower our communities. In suburbs and city centers, deserts and metropolitan areas, war zones and sacred shrines, our projects shape our people’s lives.”

A general view of deserted streets is seen during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Lahore on April 10, 2020. (AFP)

Dar Al-Handasah has 8,600 staff members and operates in 47 offices in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe, with five principal design centers located in Beirut, Cairo, London, Pune, and Amman.