ISLAMABAD: Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved 24 projects worth Rs184.8 billion out of which 10 projects worth Rs169.6 billion were referred to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC). In addition to that one position paper was also approved with a cost of Rs709 million.
The CDWP meeting was held under the chairmanship of Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Sartaj Aziz. The meeting was also attended by the senior officials from federal and provincial governments and autonomous bodies. The projects presented for approval include energy, transport and communication, water resources, physical planning and housing, science and technology, governance, health and mass media.
In the energy sector, CDWP recommended a project on the evacuation of power from Suki Kinari, Kohala and Mahl Hydro Power Project in northern areas worth Rs73.6 billion to ECNEC. The main objective of the project is the construction of 500kV transmission network to provide interconnection facilities for evacuation of power from the said hydropower plants.
Moreover, a feasibility study on developing a mechanism for tariff-based bidding of hydropower projects, review of feasibility studies for hydropower projects through local and foreign experts and capacity building of Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) employees was approved with a cost of Rs64.3 million. The project will help enhance the capacity of PPIB.
CDWP approved 12 projects in transport and communication out of which six were referred to ECNEC. The projects include up gradation and renovation of Bahawalpur, Raiwaind, Gujranwala, Karachi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore and Rawalpindi railway stations with a cost of Rs1.46 billion, replacement of old and obsolete signal gear from Lodhran-Multan-Khanewal-Shahdara Bagh main line section of Pakistan Railways with a cost of Rs18.6 billion, improvement and widening of Chitral-Booni-Mastuj-Shandur road with a cost of Rs19.1 billion, construction and rehabilitation of four bridges (Muzhgole Bridge, Osaik Bridge, Pokel Bridge and repairing of Churan Bridge) with approach road and allied components worth Rs544.6 million, construction of Ziarat Mor-Kach-Harnai Road and construction of Harnai Sanjavi Road with a cost of Rs10.8 billion, construction of six lane overhead bridge at Imamia Colony railway crossing with a cost of Rs2.1 billion, purchase of road clearance and earth moving machinery for prompt emergency response worth Rs500 million, extension and up gradation of Bannu Airport for A-320 and B-737 aircraft operations with a cost of Rs715 million, improvement of security at Karachi Airport, Multan Airport and Islamabad Airport with a cost of Rs2.2 billion, land acquisition for Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road with a cost of Rs5.3 billion, dualisation of Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road with a cost of Rs10.1 billion and construction of northern bypass of Dera Ghazi Khan with a cost of Rs5.6 billion.
In physical planning and housing, construction of Model Custom House at Gwadar was approved with a cost of Rs1.5 billion.
Feasibility study, detailed engineering design and preparation of tender documents of Murunj Dam project was approved with a cost of Rs371.7 million. Darawat Dam Project was also recommended to ECNEC. The project would be completed with a cost of Rs11.8 billion.
In science and technology section, two projects including one position paper were approved with a total cost of Rs3.3 billion. The position paper is related to providing a subsidy to scholars aboard under culture exchange programme with a cost of Rs709 million. The project for development of National University of Medical Sciences, Islamabad was also approved with a cost of Rs2.6 billion.
In governance, Access to Justice Programme worth Rs6.4 billion was recommended to ECNEC.
In the health sector, three projects were approved out of which one was referred to ECNEC. The projects include the establishment of a biological production division in Islamabad worth Rs751.1 million. A project related to the establishment of Centre for Neuro Sciences at PIMS, Islamabad worth Rs7.4 billion was referred to ECNEC. In addition, civil works for a cancer hospital in Islamabad was approved with a cost of Rs1.99 billion.
Two projects were approved in mass media sector which includes installation of 100KW medium wave digital transmitter at Mirpur for countering cross-border propaganda costing Rs143.8 million and rehabilitation of medium wave services for Muzaffarabad with a cost of Rs160.6 million.
