ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Monday approved a total of 11 development projects with an estimated cost of about Rs235bn.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presided the meeting attended by representatives of the provincial governments and federal ministries concerned. The projects were earlier cleared by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on technical basis.

The approved projects included Peshawar Sustainable Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project at an estimated cost of Rs49.34bn. The project envisages construction of a 25.8km-long, two lane road, dedicated signal free Bus Rapid Transit main corridor, including 32 stations. The Asian Development Bank is extending a $335m loan for the project.

The meeting also approved Koto Hydropower Project, to be located at Dir district of KP, at a revised cost of Rs13.99bn. The project envisaged construction of 40.8MW, Koto Hydropower Station on Panjkora River, involving 2.5km of box channel and 1.76km of power tunnel. It is expected to generate about 200GWh per year.

The Ecnec also approved another project for KP in the health sector, Integration of Health Services Delivery, covering all 25 districts of the province, with a special focus on mother and child health, lady health workers and nutrition programme in KP at a revised cost of Rs13.26bn. This is being partly financed through grant aid from DFID and Aus-Aid.

The meeting also approved the Enhancing Public Private Partnerships in Pakistan (provincial support) Project for Sindh, at a cost of Rs19.28bn. The project is aimed at enhancing capacity of the Sindh to select and develop public private partnership projects.

Another project approved for Sindh, Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project, at an estimated cost of Rs10.26bn, which involves measures for public space and mobility, and improvements in selected neighbourhoods, citizen services and city capacity development.

Punjab Irrigated-Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project, a mega project, was approved at a revised cost of Rs67.45bn. The project entails rehabilitation and completion of improvement works on 6,000 canal irrigated watercourses, development and rehabilitation of 4,000 irrigation schemes outside the canal commands and provision of 6,000 additional laser units to farmers and service providers for field leveling. This also involves installation of drip and sprinkler irrigation system on 120,000 acres of land.

Another project approved for Punjab included establishment of a children’s hospital at Bahawalpur (Phase-1) with a total cost of Rs5bn. Phase-1 of the project envisages construction of a 235-bed hospital, which will be increased to 495 after completion of phase-2.

On the other hand, the Council approved the nationalised, Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Programme (Phase-IV) 2017-18, at a total cost of Rs6.19bn. Under the project, around 100,000 young aspirants will be trained in demand-driven, market-oriented trade courses of 3-6 months.

Construction of Rathoa Haryam Bridge and approaches across reservoir channel on Mirpur – Islamgarh Road was approved at a revised cost of Rs6.5bn. The project, which is a component of the Mangla Dam Raising Project, entails construction of two lanes roadway with allied structures.

The Council also granted approval to a project for improvement, up gradation and widening of Jaglot-Skardu Road (164 km), at a revised cost of Rs32.32bn.

Another transit project for improvement and widening of additional two lanes on either side of Thokar Niaz Baig to Hudyiara Drain Multan Road N-5 (about 160km) in Lahore was approved at a cost of Rs10.39bn.

Rs14bn Bannu road dualisation

The National Highway Autho­rity (NHA) has approved dualisation and improvement of old Bannu Road which will cost Rs13.77 billion.

The NHA executive board, which on Monday met with Shahid Ashraf Tarar in the chair, announced that the project has been divided into three packages.The two packages awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) include a road from Domail to Khurrum, 40 kilometre-long, costing Rs7.13bn, and a 35km-long road from Khurrum to Krapa, is estimated to cost Rs5.92bn.

The third package awarded to NCC-IKAN-HRPL JV, includes portion of the road starting from Gaandi Chowk and ending at Sarai Naurang, 8km-long, and is estimated to cost Rs0.71bn.

The chairman NHA said that development of infrastructure in the smaller provinces was among the top most priorities. He informed the meeting that the existing road was single carriage which will be dualised and improved.

He added that the project ran through the less developed areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would help them in their economic uplift through accelerated trade activities.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2017