LAHORE: Elimination of sewage inlets in Lahore Branch Canal, Multan Metro Project and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Project were among the 15 development schemes approved by the Punjab government on Thursday with an estimated cost of Rs46,320.312 million (Rs46.32 billion).

Presided over by Punjab Planning and Development Board Chairman Irfan Elahi, the fourth meeting of Provincial Development Working Party of 2014-15 fiscal year also approved Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project –II (PMSIP-II, Concept Clearance Paper) at the cost of Rs4,500 million and establishment of Public Private Partnership (PPP) Cell in C and W Department (PC-II) at the cost of Rs21.58 million.

Approval was granted for elimination of sewage inlets in Lahore Branch Canal from Harbanspura interchange of Lahore Ring Road to BRB Canal at the cost of Rs336.747 million.

The meeting also approved nine packages of construction of Multan Metro Project from Bahauddin Zakaria University to Kumharan Chowk (approximate 18 km length).

The packages approved included Package 1: BZU to Chungi No. 6 (length 5.625 km) at the cost of Rs4,097.19 million; Package 2: Chungi No.6 to Fish Market (length 3.273 km) at the cost of Rs3,905.60 million; Package 3: Fish Market to Chungi No. 14 (length 1.171 km) at the cost of Rs2,801.95 million; Package 4: Chungi No. 14 to BCG Chowk and segment of Vehari Road (length 2.331 km) at the cost of Rs3,564.78 million; Package 5: BCG Chowk to Chowk Kumharan (length 5.582 km) at the cost of Rs3,773.94 million; Package 6: BCG Chowk to Double Phatak (length 4.10 km) at the cost of Rs4,044.23 million; Package 7: Shah Abbass Chowk to Muhammad Bin Qasim Chowk (length 3.9 km) at the cost of Rs3,609.82 million; Package 8: Muhammad Bin Qasim Chowk to Chungi No. 9 (length 2.823 km) at the cost of Rs4,553.95 million and construction of Multan Metro Project Corridor-2: (Extension) from Double Phattak to Nagshah with Askari Chowk in between (approximate length 7.57 km); Package 9: Nagg Shah to Double Phattak (length 7.578 km) at the cost of Rs4,344.73 million; Construction of Multan Metro Project, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of escalator and elevators at the cost of Rs3,205.01 million; Construction of Multan Metro Project, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of solar streetlights, generators and platform screen door (PSD) at the cost of Rs3,035.88 million.

Under the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Project, approval was granted for construction of multi-storey buildings for TMA controll and command centre, near Flashman’s Hotel at Rawalpindi at the cost of Rs524.905 million.

Published in Dawn, July 254th, 2014