ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.
As per details, a meeting of the ECNEC chaired by Adviser to the Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin approved the project’s construction including a main carriageway from Baanth (N-5) to Thallian (M-2) at a cost of Rs23.6 billion on the condition that the Planning Commission’s consent will be sought and the Axle Load Management regime will be included in the project.
The project will be financed under the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) while the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) will execute the construction of the 38.3 km six lane access-controlled ring road.
Meanwhile, the ECNEC also considered and approved the revised Hyderabad–Sukkur Motorway project on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis at a cost of Rs19.1 billion. The project will be executed by the National Highway Authority (NHA) and envisages the construction of a 306 km long, six lane, divided and fenced road between the two cities.
The meeting also approved the land acquisition plan for Lai Expressway and Rawalpindi flood channel worth Rs24.9 billion with the direction that no expenditure will be incurred before EIA report is compiled and the PPP board accords its approval for the project.
The project will be executed by the RDA and envisages the acquisition of 750 kanals of land to provide a clear way for the construction of the two projects which will constitute an integral part of Rawalpindi’s transportation network, besides flood mitigation and sewage disposal.
Moreover, the ECNEC also approved the revised Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) worth Rs25.2 billion. Contributions from the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), government of Punjab and beneficiaries will assist the funding of the project spread over ten districts of Punjab.
Besides, the chair deferred the Greater Thal Canal Project (Phase-II) until the next meeting after considering the project’s technical aspects, inclusion of comments of Sindh province in the report of CDWP, and need to address reservations of all stakeholders.
