LAHORE: Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Monday announced the Rs160bn Sutlej Indus Economic Network (SIEN) for eight districts between the Sutlej to the river Sindh to connect them with the highways and motorways.

Under the project, the districts of Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran and Bahawalpur would be connected with the motorways and highways, including the Indus Highway.

A meeting held in the Chief Minister’s Office chaired by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi approved the “SIEN” project.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Elahi said a new chapter of development and prosperity would open for the farmers, traders, industrialists and investors through the mega project.

Rs160bn road project to link eight districts with motorways, highways

While giving details, the CM explained that the first phase of the project from the Kasur Bypass to Lahore Ring Road (G-1 SIEN Corridor) would be completed with Rs15bn. It would connect seven remote districts of Punjab with M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5 and M-11. He said access to 49pc of commodity-producing markets would improve through the highways while 3,431 industrial units of food, agriculture and metal products would be promoted in these districts as business activities in nine big and small towns would be increased.

The chief minister said the North-South Corridor would connect Depalpur, Pakpattan, Vehari, Multan Road, Head Sulemanki, Minchinabad, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar Road. The Changara East Interchange would be connected with Bahawalpur N-5 while Hasilpur would be connected with Rajana Motorway (M-3) through Vehari, Burewala and Chichawatni, he said and added that Chishtian to Burewala and Sahiwal to Samundri link road would be built.

Giving further details, Mr Elahi said Bahawalnagar to Sahiwal would be connected with M-3 via Arifwala and the SIEN Corridor would also be constructed from Minchinabad to Sahiwal via Pakpattan.

“Allahabad will be connected to the Jaranwala Interchange M-3 through Chunian, Pattoki and Halla while Sharaqpur Interchange M-3 will be connected with Raiwind Road and Ring Road.”

The CM noted that the pressure on big cities would be reduced due to the development and creation of employment opportunities in the remote districts. The establishment of specialised potato machinery centres in Pakpattan and Okara would benefit the potato farmers, he said and added that by installing solar dryers and color sorter machines in Bahawalnagar, red chilli farmers would be able to get a better price for the crop.

Announcing that the Vehari Industrial Estate would be converted into the Agro-Industrial Park, he claimed that economic activities would increase in the Kasur Small Industrial Estate and Dry Port. He added that a multimodal freight terminal would be established in Pakpattan and agro-industrial parks would be established in Bahawalnagar and Okara.

Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal, former federal secretary and Chairman of Planning and Development Board Salman Ghani, the secretary C&W, secretary Planning and Development, secretary Transport, Secretary Finance, senior specialist Economics Urban Unit and others attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022