LAHORE, Sept 6: The Punjab government has approved 17 development schemes with an estimated cost of Rs24.034 billion.

The approval was given in a meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party which was presided over by Planning and Development Board Chairman Javaid Aslam here on Thursday.

According to a handout, the approved schemes include Pakpattan Canal and Sulemanki Barrage Improvement Project (PCSBIP) Tranch-3 of PIAIP at a cost of Rs9,231.90 million, Lahore Ring Road (Package-3C) construction of an underpass at Karol Ghatti on Ring Road at a cost of Rs735.111 million, Lahore Ring Road (Package-12 A) construction of an underpass at Bhaini Road on Ring Road at a cost of Rs533.316 million, construction of Metro Bus Transit System for Lahore-Ferozepur Road Corridor, Erection of escalators and platform screen doors at MTS Stations Package-IX (Revised) at a cost of Rs3,430.905 million.

Widening and improvement of road from Badiana-Bhagowal-Merajke-Charwa Road (length 27km) Sialkot district at a cost of Rs319 million, Feasibility study for the construction of a bridge on the Ravi at Qutab Shahana in Sahiwal district (Topographic Survey, Model Study and Soil Investigation etc) at a cost of Rs9.78 million, Construction of an underpass along the canal at Abdullahpur Chowk, Faisalabad, at a cost of Rs1127.762 million, Surveying, soil investigation, feasibility study and detailed design etc. of the proposed bridge over the Indus in Layyah district at a cost of Rs17.56 million.

Widening / improvement of Qaziabad MM Road to Nawankot and provision of missing links (length 33.07km) in Layyah district at a cost of Rs247.294 million, Construction of a bypass for Khanpur City from Pakistan Chowk to Grid Station (length 9.5km) Rahim Yar Khan district at a cost of Rs301.353 million, Improvement/rehabilitation of MM Alam Road from Husain Chowk to Main Boulevard, Gulberg, at a cost of Rs404.46 million, Construction of a flyover at Peshawar Road near Pirwadai, Rawalpindi, at a cost of Rs1,617.992 million.

Construction of a high-level bridge over the River Jhelum at Langarwala Pattan to Sahiwal in Sargodha/Khushab district (Re-Construction of connecting road (length 10km) at a cost of Rs302.810 million, Construction of road from Qadirabad to Pindi Bhattian via ChakChatta in Hafizabad district (length 66.55km) at a cost of Rs715.588 million, Widening/improvement of the road from Adda Jahan Khan to Kotala Jam via 36 WalaKhokha and Samlanwala Mor (length 22km) in Bhakkar district at a cost of Rs252.406 million.

Dualisation of the road from Arifwala to Bahawalnagar Road Reach Km No 24 to 40.93km (length:16.93km) Bahawalnagar district at a cost of Rs569.239 million and widening/improvement of the road from Bahawalpur Bypass to Chungi No 9, Multan, and (length 5.21km) in Multan City (Revised) at a cost of Rs4,217.986 million.