CDWP gives go-ahead to projects worth over Rs142bn
ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday cleared a total of 19 projects having an estimated cost of Rs142.3 billion.
The meeting, which was presided over by Planning Secretary Zafar Ali Shah, itself approved 13 projects worth Rs34.83bn and recommended another six costing Rs107.505bn to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for formal approval.
Under the current financial powers, the CDWP can approve projects that cost no more than Rs10bn, however, those having higher estimated costs are approved by Ecnec once the CDWP clears them on technical grounds.
Among the projects referred to Ecnec for approval was the Rs44.72bn worth of ‘Muzaffarabad-Mansehra Road’ project.
Schemes include establishment of North Waziristan university
It envisages construction of a 26.6km road, connecting Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the project, 11 bridges and two tunnels on the left bank of rivers Jhelum and Kunar would be constructed.
The road is expected to be an important link of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor after it is later connected to AJK’s industrial city Mirpur.
The purpose of the project is to provide fast connectivity from the motorway network to Azad Kashmir through a four-lane divided controlled access expressway.
Another project recommended to Ecnec was the Rs16.32bn project linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir.
The 50km mountainous road project is to be executed by the National Highway Authority (NHA) to link Neelum Valley in AJK to Jalkhad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district.
The meeting also referred to Ecnec Rs12bn worth of mini-sports complexes.
The project aims to promote sports through infrastructure development by establishing or upgrading 250 mini-sports complexes across the country through 50:50 cost sharing between federal and provincial governments.
The provincial government will be responsible to make land available while the Centre will undertake construction of the mini-complexes through Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The CDWP also recommended establishment and upgradation of 250 vocational training institutes throughout the country, including in AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and the newly-merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a total cost of Rs12.61bn.
The project seeks to train 300,000 youth through job skills.
Similarly, the construction of a new bridge with approach roads between Sukkur-Rohri over Indus River at the cost of Rs10.28bn was also recommended to Ecnec for approval.
Sukkur is the third largest city of Sindh situated on the west bank of Indus River whereas Rohri is one of the biggest railway hubs of Pakistan.
At present, there are three road river crossings between Rohri and Sukkur city.
The CDWP also recommended for approval another Rs11.58bn worth of road project for compensation of Rajanpur-D.G. Khan section as the four-lane highway and dualisation, rehabilitation of D.G. Khan- D.I. Khan of N-55.
The CDWP also approved construction of the second circuit stringing of 132KV transmission line from Jiwani to Gwadar at a cost of Rs2.323bn.
The establishment of the University of North Waziristan, tribal district, at the cost of Rs2bn was approved.
The meeting also gave a go-ahead to the proposal of setting up Knowledge Park in Islamabad and ‘Network of Digital Libraries Capitals’ at the cost of Rs6.9bn.
The project has been proposed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for a state-of-the art Knowledge Park and development of digital libraries network in the federal capital and all provincial capitals.
The meeting also considered feasibility study for the metro bus route in Quetta.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2022