ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) Wednesday approved 13 projects in various sectors costing Rs 13.87 billion whereas it referred seven projects worth Rs 1414.68 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The meeting, chaired by Minister Planning, Development and Reform Prof Ahsan Iqbal, was attended by senior officials of the provinces and ministries concerned.
The meeting considered 24 projects in various sectors including education, energy, health, Higher Education Commission (HEC) information technology, physical planning and housing, transport and communication and water sectors.
For all these projects, the foreign exchange component (FEC) portion was Rs 489.463 billion, whereas allocations in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2015-16 have been made to the tune of Rs 5.35 billion.
The CDWP approved two projects of education sector one of which is establishment of Federal College of Home Economic Management Sciences and Specialized Disciplines F-11/1, Islamabad (revised) worth Rs1.926 billion, and the other one is establishment of Cadet College Kharan Balochistan with a total cost of Rs1.382 billion.
Out of three projects of the health sector, two were approved by the CDWP, while the third was referred to the ECNEC.
The establishment of Islamabad General Hospital at Tarlai Islamabad costing Rs 2.718 billion, and uprgradation of cardiology services at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology Lahore worth Rs 158.12 million (FEC) were also approved by the CDWP.
The meeting also approved enhancement of facilities, Institute of Space Technology (IST) Islamabad of the HEC which would cost Rs 1.583 billion.
Four projects of the physical planning and housing sector were also approved, which included: construction of low cost housing units for earthquake affected people of district Awaran Balochistan (Phase-II) to cost Rs 2.5 billion, restoration of livelihoods in earthquake affected districts Awanran and Kech Balochistan costing Rs 155.06 million, construction of the government buildings at district Awaran Balochistan worth Rs 103.5 million and water supply scheme Chakswari Phase-II district Mirpur AJK worth Rs 365.89 million.
The CDWP approved projects of procurement of eight sets of Re-railing Rescue Equipment for relief operation and upgradation of the railway stations to attract Sikh tourism at Hassan Abdal, Nankana Sahib and Narowal worth Rs 220 million and Rs 690 million respectively.
Construction of Small Dams Delay Action Dams Retention Weirs, Flood Diversion Weirs and ISSO Barriers in Arid Zone (Rehabilitation and Extension of four irrigation buns in Nagarparkar), with a total cost of Rs923.2 million, was also approved.
The projects, which were referred to the ECNEC, included: KeyalKhwar Hydro Project (128 MW) of Rs7.67 billion, Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication (2016-18) worth Rs 33.04 billion (FEC), Bunji Hydro Power Project of Rs 1,328.90 billion (to be resubmitted), construction of Authmuqam-Sharda-Kel-Taobat section of the Neelum Valley road AJK (109 kms) worth Rs 10.854 billion, widening and strengthening of National Highway N-70 (RakhiGajj-Bewata) 32.651 kms to cost Rs23.463 billion, rehabilitation and upgradation of the 45km long Jalapur Pirwala-Uch section of the Multan-Trinda Muhammad Pannah Road (revised) costing Rs 4.676 billion and construction of small dams in district Mansehra Khyber Pakhtunkhwa worth Rs 6.66 billion.
Source: APP