PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Thursday approved 22 development projects valuing around Rs13 billion for the next fiscal.

The approval came during a meeting, which took place here under the chairmanship of provincial additional chief secretary Khalid Pervez.

The meeting was attended by the administrative secretaries and senior officials of the planning and development, finance, environment, communication and works, local government and rural development, agriculture, health, higher education, industries, relief rehabilitation, social welfare and irrigation departments, according to a handout issued here.

The approved projects included construction of residences and bachelor’s hostel in all district headquarters for government employees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a cost of Rs869.178 million, retrofitting of the City Hospital, Lakki Marwat at a cost of Rs113.544 million, purchase of equipment for one Category-A, four Category-C and four Category-D hospitals in Dera Ismail Khan, Kalabat, Dargai, Lahor Swabi, Sarai Naurang, Janikhel Bannu, Havelian, Totakan and Thana Malakand at a cost of Rs482.364 million.

Among other approved projects are the purchase of additional land for the University of Malakand at a cost of Rs160.655 million; feasibility and establishment of two GGDC in Nowshera district one each in Jalozai and Tarkha at a cost of Rs525 million; feasibility and establishment of two home economic colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa one each in Nowshera and Abbottabad at a cost of Rs600 million; the establishment of small industrial estate Abbottabad-2, PC-II at a cost of Rs200 million; establishment of Small Industrial Estate in Hatar and preparation of PC-II at a cost of Rs220 million.

The PDWP also approved repair/rehabilitation of road from Ziarat Kaka Sahib to Tangi Khattak village in Nowshera at a cost of Rs104.824 million; priority projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rehabilitation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of a road from GT Road to Walai village in Nowshera at a cost of Rs79.498 million; Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Programme on need basis at a cost of Rs2 billion; provision for contractor's accrued liabilities and uncashed cheques at a cost of Rs200 million; restoration of flood-affected roads and bridges in Drosh, Chitral and Boni areas in Chitral district at a cost of Rs150 million; rehabilitation of 17 kilometres roads in PK-48 Abbottabad district at a cost of Rs157.892 million; construction of pre-stressed RCC bridge over the Indus River from KKH to Seo village in Dassu Kohistan at a cost of Rs322.534 million; improvement and widening of Amakhel Mulazai Road in Tank district at a cost of Rs79.036 million; land acquisition for Swat Expressway at a cost of Rs2.3 billion; rehabilitation of Barian-Nathiagali Road in Abbottabad district at a cost of Rs614 million; the emergency rural roads’ rehabilitation project and improvement of Chitral-Garam Chashma Road in Chitral district at a cost of Rs297.236 million.

It also approved provision of Rs150 million grant-in-aid to Dost Welfare Foundation; construction of Northern Section of Ring Road, Peshawar from Warsak Road to Jamrud Road (land component) at a cost of Rs2.827 billion, and construction of Mardankhel dam in Karak district at a cost of Rs439.974 million.

Some of the projects were approved subject to cost rationalisation and physical inspection by the relevant departments.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2014