ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) is expected to approve some 61 development projects costing Rs121.4 billion on Saturday (Nov 3).

The meeting will also approve the Muzaffarabad City Development Project at a cost of Rs22 billion, for reconstruction of Azad Kashmir’s capital that was devastated by the 2005 earthquake.

The project, included in the agenda at the last moment, would be implemented by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority with a foreign exchange assistance of Rs17.6 billion.

Another project relating to Muzaffarabad, costing Rs1.6 billion, includes construction of the west bank bypass.

The government is expected to convene a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) within the next week to formally approve all these projects.

The CDWP cannot approve projects costing more than Rs500 million but is required to clear them on technical grounds for formal approval by Ecnec.

The overall development outlay of 61 projects will include foreign exchange financing of about Rs56 billion.

Two projects pertaining to detailed exploration of uranium resources in Dera Ghazi Khan and Bannu Basin that were estimated to cost Rs3.9 billion have been withdrawn from the agenda.

However, a project of Rs18.3 billion for establishment of National Electronics Complex of Pakistan and Tokamak Fusion Programme costing Rs1.55 billion have been added to the agenda.

In the water sector, Saturday’s meeting is expected to clear a total of six projects worth Rs8.4 billion including a Barani integrated water resources sector project of Rs6.3 billion for which the Asian Development Bank will provide a loan of Rs4.556 billion.

About Rs28.3 billion will be approved for seven projects in transport and communications sector, including Rs10.7 billion replacement of old signal gear of Lohdran to Shahdara Bagh railway line and Rs8.33 billion doubling of track from Khanewal to Raiwind, Sahiwal, Okara and Qasur districts of Punjab.

In forestry and wildlife sector, the meeting will approve six projects at a cost of Rs13.3 billion.

The meeting will also clear 10 projects of the Higher Education Commission at a cost of more than Rs20 billion.

This would include Rs6.4 billion for PhD fellowships for 5,000 scholars, Rs5.95 billion for strengthening of UET Lahore, Rs2.27 billion for the NED

University in Karachi and Rs3.3 billion infrastructure development of Comsats Institute of Information Technology in Islamabad.

In the energy sector, four projects including construction of two 132-kv grid stations at Sui and Dera Bugti in Balochistan and their related transmission lines will be approved at a cost of Rs1.658 billion.