ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is likely to give the approval to start construction of much awaited Layyah-Taunsa bridge project on river Indus and revival of Karachi Circular Railways among others, it was learnt reliably.
Available documents disclose that the government has summoned the meetings of ECNEC and ECC on Friday. The two meetings will be held in the cabinet room of the PM Office, under the chair Prime Minister Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi. The meeting is expected to take important decisions on Friday pertaining to various projects including governance, education, transportation and communication, and water sector at the forum of Executive Committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) while, the economic coordination committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet may take up summaries of commerce, petroleum, power and revenue divisions.
Agenda of the Friday’s meeting of ECNEC include projects named as Financial Inclusion and Infrastructure Project, Balochistan Education Project (BEP) revised (schools and colleges),doubling of track from Khanewal to Raiwind-248 kilometer (3rd revised), revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), provincial roads rehabilitation project “Under PKHA Portfolio”- Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, construction of Rathoa Haryam Bridge and approaches across reservoir channel on Mirpur-Islamagarh road (2nd revised) and the much-awaited construction of 4 lane bridge across river Indus linking Layayh with Taunsa Sharif including 2 lane approach roads and river training works 24.272 km). Also, remodelling of Warsak canal system in Peshawar and Nowshera districts is included in the agenda of Friday’s ECNEC meeting.
The Layyah-Taunsa bridge is the dream of the area, which is about to come true in near future with start of construction work on the bridge on Indus river. The bridge will provide a vital link between the two districts Layyah and Dera Ghazi Khan.
The project was initially announced 30 years ago in 1988 when Nawaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab. However, no construction work was initiated on-site despite passing almost 30 years.
According to a working paper for the Central Development Working party (CDWP), the project site is located between Layyah, on the east bank of Indus River, and Taunsa, the west bank of the river. The project is to be completed within three years (2020) with an estimated cost of Rs 10,503,708 million. NHA will be the executing agency of this project.
The objective of the project focuses on the development of the area in addition to providing a direct linkage between the two cities, Layyah and Taunsa Sharif. This project will greatly reduce the distance between the two cities and bring it down to 50 km from 120 km.
In addition, the traffic flow would be facilitated from east to west by providing a link between N-55 (North-South Corridor) and Motorway M4 (Part of Peshawar Karachi Motorway).
The west bank of River Indus (Taunsa) would be connected to the provincial road network on the east side of the Indus. This will contribute positively towards the development of the area particularly the western side of the Indus River.
According to further detail provided in the NHA documents, the main components of the project comprise of the construction of a major bridge on Indus River measuring 1.5 km in length, a toll plaza, approach route to bridge from either side and river training works. The construction cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 7 million while design and other necessary preparations for the project’s initiation are complete.
On the other hand, next ECC meeting will take up summary regarding the additional allocation of surplus tobacco to tobacco companies and dealers. Similarly, a summary seeking review of the oil marketing companies (OMCs) and dealers margins on petroleum products will be tabled during the meeting.
The ECC meeting is also scheduled to take up power division’s summaries, seeking approval of ECC for issuance of GOP sovereign guarantee for Rs 39,000 million for construction of 1320 megawatt (MW) coal power project, Jamshoro, while tax issue of power sector and settlement and subsidy for agricultural tube well consumers in Balochistan 2017-18. Besides, the ECC meeting will take up revenue division’s summary seeking an extension of the reduced withholding tax rate for non-filers under section 236P of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, up to December 31, 2017.
