LAHORE: Construction of 200 mini dams in Potohar region and establishment of a medical college in Sialkot were among the 10 development schemes approved by the Punjab government on Monday with an estimated cost of Rs7.936 billion.

Presided over by Punjab Planning and Development Board Chairman Irfan Elahi, the 45th meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party of 2013-14 fiscal year approved water resources development through construction of 200 mini dams along with command area development of Potohar region, Barani areas of Punjab (Revised 400 mini dams) at a cost of Rs1.108 billion and establishment of Khwaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College at Sialkot at a cost of Rs1.422 billion.

The meeting approved establishment of a Public Private Partnership Cell in the Planning and Development Department (Revised) at a cost of Rs879.412 million and construction of a bridge on rainy nullah Kahan on Jhelum-Pind Dadan Khan Road in Jhelum district at a cost of Rs426.300 million.

The road sector schemes included widening and improvement of Sialkot-Eminabad Road (length 61.9km) in Sialkot and Gujranwala districts at a cost of Rs1.044 billion; widening and improvement of Sialkot-Wazirabad-Rasulnagar-Kot Harra-Jalalpur Bhattian Road (Section Qadirabad Road to Jalalpur Bhattian (length 41.09km) in Hafizabad district (Revised) at a cost of Rs307.111 million; widening and improvement of Head Muhammadwala to Karam Dad Qureshi-Kot Addu-Layyah Road through MM Road along TP link canal (length 47.1km) in Muzaffargarh district at a cost of Rs975.27 million; construction of Khurarianwala Bypass Road (length 17.38km) in Faisalabad district (Revised) at a cost of Rs296.639 million; dualisation and improvement of Rawat to Kallar Syedan Road (length 19km) in Rawalpindi district at a cost of Rs1.002 billion and widening and improvement of metalled road from Rawalpindi to Ari Syedan in Kahuta tehsil (length 15.26km) in Rawalpindi district at a cost of Rs473.073 million.

Published in Dawn, June 24th , 2014